


Utopia

by veroreos



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: A Burn So Slow Even The Vex Don't Have Time For It, Alien Culture, Angst, Blood and Violence, But not actually too far from canon so, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Exo Issues, Fluff, M/M, More Plot As Time Goes On, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Enemy of My Enemy Questline, Post-Red War, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Forsaken, References To Dredgen Yor, Savathun's Song, Slow Burn, War Crimes, We'll see how canon compliant this stays when Year 2 hits, Written before Mithrax had canon lore, canon adjacent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-04 15:56:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12774417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veroreos/pseuds/veroreos
Summary: A Fallen Captain makes an arrangement with a Guardian.Ajax-8 always had a habit of getting in over his head, but nobody could have guessed how far he'd fall.





	1. We Meet Again

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. This is my biggest and most ambitious piece of writing (sitting at 10k words right now and still working on it!), so I hope you all enjoy. It's been hard for me to work up the nerve to start posting since I want to keep polishing it more and more, but I figure if I don't start, I'm going to sit on it forever.
> 
> Huge shout out to Sarison for compiling the Fallen dictionary. I leaned on some of the words here in the first chapter, and made up a few, but I am incredibly impressed and appreciative for the resource. I've been panicking over all of the little details about lore and the world and stuff, so if anything isn't accurate, sorry! I did the best I could with the time I have available to me.

“ _You’re sure you don’t want me to act as interpreter for you? I downloaded a Fallen translator just for this._ ”

“What, and take all the fun out of it?” The Ghost rolls its eye as Ajax darts behind another column, waiting for the Vandal patrol to pass. “Besides, Cayde taught me some words.” The moment the patrol is out of sight, the Hunter continues on, sticking to the edges of Solarium, to any shadows the neon lights can’t spoil. He’s made this route dozens of times with guns blazing and a trail of blood in his path.

Not this time.

“ _Asking where the bathroom is and insulting their Kell hardly counts as conversation,_ ” the Ghost continues, disappearing when footsteps approach. Ajax quickly ducks behind a knocked over advertising board, keeping careful watch on the radar as the Fallen chatter approaches. “ _Besides, what are you even hoping to accomplish? One rogue Captain doesn’t change anything._ ”

The footsteps stop for a moment, one of the Vandals pausing to look around. Ajax holds his breath and counts to 10, and soon enough the patrol carries on until out of sight once more. Tucking his gun in against his side, Ajax silently moves into the entryway, practically sighing in relief when he finds himself cloaked in darkness.

“For all we know, this changes _everything_.” Even though Ajax can still feel his Ghost’s disapprovement practically boring into the back of his skull, this time it says nothing as Ajax forges onward. There’s no point in arguing when neither of them understands the situation. While Variks had proven to be cooperative, that was out of spite, out of vengeance, for the good of the Fallen; this Captain (named Mithrax, Ajax later discovered after a substantial amount of digging) gained nothing from setting Ajax free. He’d even lost precious resources from letting Ajax have the reactor. Any kind of motivation he might have is a complete mystery.

And, well, if Ajax is good at anything, it’s sticking his nose in other people’s business.

It’s not long before Ajax reaches the first stop of his route, the familiar security checkpoint he encountered Mithrax at only a week before. Stepping over to the console, his Ghost pops out to run a quick scan, though it proves unnecessary. “ _Looks like it’s broken_ ,” it says, turning around and blinking up at Ajax. “ _Your friend must have broken it when freeing us_.”

“Aww, he really cares about us, huh?” Ajax makes a kissing noise and laughs when his Ghost gives him a groan of disgust in response, disappearing in a flicker of light. The place is as much of a wreck as it was before, Ajax stepping over crushed electronics and broken glass as he surveys the room. An old roomba scurries across the floor beside him in a futile effort to combat what must be centuries of decay. Ajax is half tempted to take it home and tape some knives on it to throw into the Crucible.

The sound of a pebble skidding across tile immediately grabs the Hunter’s attention. Ajax whips around to raise his gun and immediately is faced with two blades pointed at him. However, once Ajax recognizes the Captain on the other end of those blades, he can’t help but laugh. “One step ahead of me still, huh?” Relaxing his shoulders, Ajax lowers his gun, though Mithrax doesn’t follow suit. All four eyes are watching him intensely as Ajax fumbles for words. “Ne...yu...Ajax?” He points to himself for what he hopes is clarifying emphasis.

Mithrax pauses, lowering his blades just a fraction as he continues to stare. The Ghost’s voice rings in Ajax’s helmet. “ _You just said ‘I name Ajax.’ You used the noun for ‘name’ rather than the verb ‘to be named’--that’s the impression you want to make? You sound like a Fallen caveman. It’s ‘yubo.’ See, yubo specifies which house you’re from, but in this context--_ ”

“Das hu? Uhhhh...Ne has? Ra ha, ne. ” Ajax is asking to prove his worth and clarifying he’s not an enemy. He thinks. He specifically asked Cayde for words that would indicate respect rather than trying to provoke. Knowing Cayde, there’s a 50-50 chance that Ajax is either trying to make friends or is threatening to gut Mithrax.

There’s a long, long silence between the two of them. If Ajax had sweat it’d be trickling down his temples right about now. The silence is nearly overwhelming, save for the soft hum of the passing roomba. Mithrax suddenly jerks and starts hissing and chittering, a foreign sound that makes Ajax tense up until he recognizes what it is--and then Ajax smiles.

Laughter. Mithrax is laughing at him.

Ajax would be embarrassed if he wasn’t just glad that the Captain isn’t currently trying to kill him. Slowly and with what he hopes are clearly telegraphed actions, Ajax kneels down and sets his hand cannon on the ground. His Ghost makes a squeak of indignation as Ajax slides the gun away from himself, continuing to protest when Ajax does the same with his rifle.

Mithrax seems to be more curious than hostile now. As Ajax rises back to his fleet, Mithrax still has his swords drawn, but his stance is notably less pointed. The Captain tenses again when Ajax reaches for another weapon until he sees Ajax pull out a sword.

With his free hand, Ajax gestures from Mithrax to himself, hoping that the hand signal for ‘ _come at me’_ is universal. Mithrax laughs again and, to Ajax’s surprise, sheathes one of his swords, sinking back into a fighting stance with the other. They both wait for each other to make the first move, and with his heart hammering in his chest, Ajax throws himself at the Captain.

It’s been a long time since Ajax was a Bladedancer and even longer since he’s had a one on one duel with a sword; ever since he lost a swordfight to that one Warlock during Iron Banner, he’d been far too embarrassed to try again. But he at least manages to hold his own against Mithrax, the two exchanging blows and blocks and parries at an almost blinding speed.

There are no serious injuries, but they manage to land a few scratches here and there. At some point Mithrax manages to slice through leather and cuts open Ajax’s left sleeve, earning an annoyed click from the Hunter. “Oh come on, I just got these!” Mithrax responds with something Ajax can’t decipher before coming at Ajax again. It starts to become clear that Mithrax has clearly handicapped himself--with one sword, he’s just a tad better than Ajax. With both, this would have been over before they started.

Eventually Mithrax starts to gain the upper hand, and as Ajax struggles to keep up, it’s only too easy for the Captain to capitalize on his poor footing and sweep his legs out from underneath him, sending Ajax sprawling backwards. Before he can even move to get up Mithrax pins his chest to the ground underneath his foot. Ajax can’t make out exactly what he says, but Ajax can pick out a word he’s fairly certain means ‘prey.’ Ajax swallows hard as Mithrax raises his sword and closes his eyes as it comes down.

The sound of scraping metal hits Ajax’s ears, but the strike never does. He hesitantly opens an eye to peek and sees Mithrax’s sword buried in the tiles next to his head. A little too close for comfort, but certainly better than it being embedded in his skull.

Mithrax pulls the blade out before turning, taking a few steps away from Ajax as the Hunter sits up and rubs his sore back. He’s about to get up when he pauses to watch Mithrax as the Captain reaches up and pulls at his cape. In a smooth motion Mithrax removes the cape from his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor by his feet. The waist sash with his banner follows suit immediately after. Ajax’s eyes are wide when Mithrax glances back to meet Ajax’s gaze.

Ajax slowly nods as he pushes himself to stand. He’s a bit more clumsy about it, fingers fumbling as he also removes his cape and tosses it to the side, allowing the dark fabric to drift away into the darkness. He watches it go with apprehension before looking back to Mithrax, and Mithrax nods back at him.

This time when they clash, it’s different. It’s no longer hurried, no longer desperate to prove themselves to each other. The movements between them are languid, Mithrax lingering on every well placed strike, Ajax savoring every time their blades meet. Their duel turns into a dance that they find the rhythm of together as they spill blood and laughter into the room around them. Everything else is forgotten, if only for just a moment, while they allow themselves to simply enjoy this moment.

Neither of them keeps track of how much time has passed. It’s only when they’re both exhausted, unable to continue on that they finally stop. Ajax raises his hands in surrender and Mithrax takes that as his cue to step forward, thrusting the sword forward along Ajax’s side, mimicking the motion of impaling him. With a dramatic groan, Ajax puts his hands to his stomach, waiting for Mithrax to withdraw his sword before sinking to his knees and feigning death.

Mithrax makes a clicking noise akin to a chuckle, sitting on the ground next to Ajax as Ajax rolls onto his back and spreads out all his limbs. “I can see why you made Captain. You’re a tough piece of shit, you know that?” Mithrax says nothing in response, simply staring off into the distance. Ajax feels like he understands. Somewhat. Somehow.

There’s a stretch of silence as they both catch their breaths, coming down from the adrenaline of a good fight. Ajax closes his eyes and is almost content to just nap right there, but the sound of movement from Mithrax catches his attention. He turns his head to look and blinks in surprise as Mithrax lays on the ground, copying Ajax’s position with all six limbs sprawled out on the ground.

Ajax can’t help but laugh as Mithrax attempts to get comfortable, awkwardly shifting and grunting in annoyance. Hunters have a knack for getting cozy anywhere they can, though Ajax understands why Mithrax can’t see the appeal. Mithrax manages it for a good half a minute before finally sitting upright, saying something that Ajax can’t exactly translate, but the condescension is clear. “I never said you had to do it, buddy! That’s all on you.”

The illusion of separation from reality is broken when Cayde’s voice cuts in over the helmet’s comms. “ _Alright Eight-jax, you gotta pick up at some point. You better not be dead out there! I bet Ikora you’d go out doing something cool, not on a crummy patrol._ ”

“Ugh.” With an exhausted groan, Ajax manages to prop himself up with his elbows. “Ajax-8, reporting. What’s up, Cayde Unit?”

“ _Har har. Zavala thought you’d be back from patrol by now, and you haven’t answered anyone for the past few hours. Now, I know everyone needs alone time once in awhile..._ ”

“Hours?” Ajax’s Ghost appears next to him, eye looking down in embarrassment, somehow managing to look sheepish even without having a face. Ajax lifts his hand and lets the Ghost rest in his palm. “Must’ve been shitty reception. I was exploring a little Hive hidey-hole I found, and those tunnels go on forever. And it’s so damp in there--”

“ _Okay, gross. I don’t need to know about the mold that’s going to be growing inside your chassis, just head back when you get a chance. Zavala’s being fussy and keeps bugging me. It’s ruining my cool, aloof vibe._ ”

“No problem, I’ll head back as soon as I...wait, did Ikora bet that I’d die on a _patrol_?”

“ _Looks like I’ve got to go seeyousoonokaybye!”_

Cayde’s end of the line clicks and the Ghost drifts slowly upward. “ _Sorry Ajax. I put all of your channels on hold, I figured you wouldn’t want to be interrupted._ ”

“S’okay. You were right, and I appreciate it.” Mithrax is already standing up when Ajax moves to follow suit.  “I’m sure you’ve already figured out I gotta go, and you probably have to go too, huh?” Ajax pretends that the noise Mithrax makes is an affirmative. They’re both silent as they retrieve their things, Ajax already lost in thought as he picks up his guns and reaffixes his cape. He’s ready to turn on his heel and leave when Mithrax puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Ajax?”

The Exo’s eyes light up even brighter. “Shit! Yeah, fuck, hell yeah--! Right! That’s right! That’s--yeah!”

Mithrax’s expression is unreadable, gaze boring intently down at the Guardian. “Ajax yu _bo._ ”

There’s a distant ‘I told you so’ that goes entirely ignored. “Oh--! Ajax yubo.” Ajax says it twice to make sure that it sticks, that the sound is familiar on his tongue.

Mithrax nods before gesturing to himself. He pauses for a moment, a hesitation Ajax so rarely sees in the Fallen, before speaking. “Mithrax...be, I.”

“Mithrax,” Ajax repeats back, suddenly feeling himself breathless. It takes him a moment to snap out of his daze and realize that the Captain is staring at him expectantly. “I _am_ Mithrax.”

“I am Mithrax.” Just like Ajax, Mithrax repeats it a few times to himself. “Goden hur.”

Thankfully this is one that Cayde bothered to include in his lesson. “Goodbye,” Ajax says back, feeling warmth blooming in his chest as the Captain turns and disappears back into the darkness.


	2. Repeat Performance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ajax gets comfortable. Maybe a little too comfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty gay and is where I have to start speculating a personality for Mithrax. It only goes downhill from here folks so buckle up!

Ajax comes back the next week, and the week after that, and the week after that.

Just like with sparring, they find their rhythm easily. It’s gone unspoken but they always know when and where to find each other, always know the other is going to be there. Sometimes Mithrax is there first, standing there like a dramatic asshole, ready to draw his sword and tear his cape off just to look cool. (He always does.) Other times Ajax is already there when Mithrax arrives, cape and guns already discarded to the side, sitting on the most suitable perch and twirling one of his knives.

Sometimes they talk, sometimes they don’t. Mostly they spar. Ajax clarifies to his Ghost that healing isn’t fair, ‘so none of that cheating bullshit,’ and as a result he feels a rush of adrenaline different from that of a usual firefight. Ajax would go easy on Mithrax to make sure he doesn’t get too terribly wounded if Mithrax needed it. For the most part though Mithrax _kicks his ass_ , knocking Ajax to the ground more times than either of them can count, drawing sparks and oil and exposing wires the Exo didn’t even know he had. Mithrax twisted Ajax’s arm behind his back and broke it at one point, continuing to pull and threatening to tear it off until Ajax finally tapped out.

In the back of his mind, Ajax swears he can hear Cayde teasing him about being a masochist; then again, Cayde is one of the last people he wants to think about while with Mithrax.

Today neither of them seem to be in the mood to fight. Ajax spent the past few days tracking down Vex parts while Asher spouted complaints in his ear, and Mithrax apparently had been combatting Hive forces nonstop for territory control. Instead, today Mithrax sits with Ajax in a dimly lit hallway, the neon lights a room over barely illuminating their figures. For once Mithrax actually looks relatively relaxed, his back against the wall and shoulders lacking their usual tension.

Ajax is on his back on the floor, sprawled out per usual as he peers up to Mithrax. “Okay, your turn. What color is your house banner?”

“My house banner is purple.” Teaching Mithrax had been a somewhat strenuous process when they first started, but the Captain learns quickly despite Ajax being an awful teacher. Ajax gives him a thumbs up and Mithrax nods. “(Now you. What color is your armor?)”

It takes Ajax a moment, humming in thought to fill the space as he scrambles for words. Ajax is definitely a slow learner in comparison. “(Armor, color...white black, is.)”

“(Your grammar is atrocious.)”

“You know damn well I don’t understand what you just said.”

Mithrax laughs at Ajax as the latter props up his upper half using his forearms, just enough to level a glare at Mithrax from behind the visor. Even with a helmet on, he’s sure the message gets across. Mithrax always seems to have a way of knowing.

Ajax flops back down just as a roomba starts humming towards him. It manages to avoid hitting his foot and goes to move around him, but Ajax stops it by putting his hand gently on the top of it. Not hard enough to stop its path entirely, but enough to keep it from moving forward. It whirrs in place, trying to go along its way and beginning to beep in distress once it realizes it’s not going anywhere.

With a snort of amusement Ajax lets it go and watches it wander away. “You think we could use one of the little guys for combat? This other Hunter and I were talking about strapping blades to the top of it, see about letting it loose in the Crucible if Shaxx will…” His thought trails off when he looks up and realizes Mithrax is staring intently at him. ”Okay, not fond of the ominous silent staring. What?”

“(You remind me of a…)” Mithrax pauses, searching for the word. It’s rare for Mithrax to hesitate in anything, so Ajax forces himself to sit up, now very interested. “(The word doesn’t exist in my language.)”

“Uh. What is it? Is it flattering? If it’s not flattering I’m not helping you figure it out.” The Captain shrugs (a motion he picked up quickly from Ajax), which isn’t necessarily a reassuring reaction, but Ajax is too curious to pass this up. After digging through an excessive amount of belt pouches, Ajax finally pulls out a piece of chalk, offering it out to Mithrax. “Draw it?” He pantomimes the motion.

Mithrax leans over to take the chalk. He pauses a moment to roll it between his fingers, inspecting the texture of it before experimentally drawing a line on the ground. The white chalk stands out nicely even in the dim fade of distant neon. With confidence, Mithrax begins drawing.

He’s not exactly an artist, but anyone can play pictionary. First he draws a circle with triangles coming out of the top of it. Then a long, slender oval adjacent to the first circle and just barely touching the bottom, with four sticks drawn hanging from the bottom, along with a squiggle at the end of the main body of the…

“A _cat_? That's--that is definitely a cat.” Mithrax glances up to Ajax, uncertain as the Guardian swipes the chalk from him. Ajax draws the face of the cat, pointy ears and cat eyes and whiskers and all, before drawing the body and paws and tail poking out. “I mean, I guess it’d make sense that you guys don’t have a word for cat since you guys don’t have cats, but--why do you know what a cat is? And why me? Why would I? I don’t even have that hood anymore! I can't imagine you have any frame of reference for what traits people would even begin to associate with cats, what could you possibly--”

“Babbling,” the Captain says, the slightest trace of a lilt to his voice. It took the Hunter weeks to realize that it's a sign of amusement.

Ajax would blush if he had the capacity to do so. “Right, right. Babbling.” Once they began to grow comfortable speaking to each other, Mithrax discovered right away that Ajax is a chatterbox. Fortunately he seemed to enjoy it--more so than some of the other Guardians, at the very least. ‘Babbling’ was one of the first words beyond basics that they'd shared, and it was a favorite of Mithrax’s whenever Ajax is speaking too quickly for him to understand.

A hand reaches out, gesturing for the chalk which Ajax hands back over before flopping back down. Mithrax writes the word out with slow and deliberate letters. C-A-T. “Yes...cat. You are like a cat.” Ajax can’t help but marvel at how well Mithrax is picking up human language, can’t help but feel embarrassed in comparison. Mithrax’s mouth isn’t even the right shape to make some of the sounds in English, but he’s still got a better grasp on it than Ajax has on the Eliksni language.

It reminds him of when they were both pursuing the reactor--how Mithrax had always been one step ahead of him, every time, no matter how hard he’d tried to keep up. Hell, if Mithrax hadn’t gotten caught in the security trap, Mithrax would’ve have likely walked away with the reactor before anyone could stop him.

It’s clear that the Captain is incredibly bright, even when not considering his combat prowess. If it weren’t for their strange arrangement, Ajax would be pretty worried about having him as a foe. As it stands, Ajax isn’t sure how worried he _should_ be, and that’s a train of thought he’d rather not follow while laying on the floor in front of the Eliksni in question.

The Eliksni who is also staring down at him. “Something wrong?”

“Oh--no, sorry, just got distracted.” Pushing himself up with his hands, Ajax shifts upright to sit cross legged. “Uh, but when did you see a cat?”

“On your planet.” Ajax stares blankly at Mithrax, conveying a silent _‘duh’_ before Mithrax continues. “In buildings sometimes, in wild, others. They’re quick creatures.”

There’s an urge to mention that he’s wanted a cat for basically _forever_ , but Ajax will spare Mithrax the tangent about how Holiday won’t let him keep a pet on his ship. “We actually have a phrase, ‘cat-like reflexes.’ We admire them for their speed. Are you saying I’m qui--”

“No.” The response is so immediate that Ajax’s shoulders slump, drawing a laugh from Mithrax. “However, like a cat, you are a hunter that taunts its prey.”

Mithrax takes the silence as a signal of confusion and elaborates by gesturing to the roomba, still whirring away in the background. Ajax slaps a hand to his visor. “The robot isn’t _prey_!”

“Yet you taunt it,” Mithrax says with a tone that’s far more playful than Ajax was ready for. “But you’re right, you’re not a cat. You’re not fast enough.”

The challenge is immediately clear, Mithrax rising to his feet just as Ajax does. “Oh, is that so? I bet I can beat you to the other end of the Arcology.”

“I’ve beaten you before, I will do it again.” There’s a brief silence as they stare at each other, until they both break out into a full sprint.

  


“Hey, Cayde Unit, did you know that the Fallen on Nessus still talk about you?”

“ _First of all, if you think I was kidding about signing you up for Shaxx’s bootcamp if you don’t stop calling me that, I wasn’t. Second of all, of course they are! They saw me master the art of Vex time-space teleportation!_ ”

“Didn’t we have to save you--?”

“ _So, what do they say about me? How amazing and dashing I looked? Do they quiver in fear when they say my name?_ ”

“I’m pretty sure they’re saying there’s a bounty on your head and anyone who brings in your horn will be promoted to Captain.”

“ _Cold sons of bitches._ ”

“Mhmm.”

“... _You know, Eight-jax, I didn’t think I taught you that much Fallen-speak. You been picking it up?_ ”

“My Ghost downloaded a translator.”

“ _Uh-huh. So this has absolutely nothing to do with that Fallen Captain you ran off in secret to track down and then refused to speak about again?_ ”

“It has about as much to do with that Captain as _you_ do with Holiday’s missing prototype sparrow parts.”

“ _Ooh, that’s dirty. Ikora’s right, I’m a terrible influence on you guys._ ”

“You started it!”

“ _If you’re going to go play buddy with him, that’s your business. Just...stay safe. Don’t let your guard down. You can’t assume his intentions are as good as yours.”_

“I’m not sure if you’re trying to imply that he might try to kill me, or that he might try to sleep with me.”

“ _That’s disgusting and I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear it. One more thing?_ ”

“Yeah?”

“ _Make sure Zavala never hears about this._ ”


	3. Don't Ask, Don't Tell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mithrax opens up, and Ajax learns more than he wanted to. Both have a tough decision to make about trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is also known as the one where I make up a backstory for Mithrax and pretend like I know anything about social gambles.

After Mithrax knocks Ajax down for the third time in five minutes, he calls off the dueling for now, realizing that Ajax is too distracted to be worth fighting. 

Ajax holsters his gun and drapes himself on top of a large chunk of broken wall, stomach resting on the flat surface of it while his arms and legs hang off, head dangling down limply. It’s far from the strangest position he’s taken while relaxing, though Mithrax still finds himself snorting in amusement as he watches the Hunter awkwardly pose himself. Mithrax settles for sitting across from Ajax, leaning against the opposing wall.

“You’re quiet.” The Guardian grunts in acknowledgement, but doesn’t respond otherwise. Mithrax makes a throaty sound somewhere between clicking and purring, and  _ that _ gets Ajax to look up, watching the Captain as he begins to polish his blades. “Is it my turn to talk today?”

Ajax immediately brightens. “Can I ask you questions?” Mithrax nods and Ajax pushes himself upright so that he’s sitting properly. “What house were you part of before--”

“No questions about the Eliksni.”

Ajax lets out a long, drawn out groan, slowly sliding down the broken wall until he’s sitting on the ground across from Mithrax. “What’s the point in having an Eliksni friend if I can’t even ask you stuff about them?”

Mithrax stops polishing for a moment to look up to Ajax. “Would you answer me if I asked you about the Guardians?”

“Yes. ...Well, no--maybe. Depends what the question was.” Ajax shrugs. “How about we each get one question. Nothing war related, but something about culture.”

The Captain rolls his head to the side, quiet in contemplation before turning his attention back to his blades. “Acceptable. You can ask first.”

There’s a long list of things that Ajax has been wanting to ask Mithrax for a while now, but before he can even think to prioritize which ones would be the most worth asking, he’s already blurting out the first one that comes to mind. “How did you go from being a Dreg to becoming a Captain?”

“Are you sure you want to know that? What if I told you I killed a Guardian?”

Mithrax is surprised when Ajax simply snorts. “I'd be impressed. What if I told you how many Captains I've killed?”

“Fair enough.” The Eliksni stands, folding his lower arms behind his back, sheathing his swords and pulling out a pair of guns in exchange. “You're familiar with our chain of command?”

“Sort of. Dregs have their arms docked until they prove themselves worthy to be promoted to Vandals, right?”

“Dregs are less than nothing. They're flesh shields and cannon fodder.” It's hard to imagine Mithrax having ever been as small and scraggly as a Dreg, especially now as Ajax looks up at his large form from below. “To you, they would be like vermin. Or perhaps as low as worms.”

“Cayde was right, you guys are cold sons of bitches.”

“Sons of--?”

“Uh, nevermind. Keep going.”

Mithrax stares down at him suspiciously for a moment before moving on. “When I was promoted to Vandal, we’d been fighting Vex at the time. Our Prime Servitor was damaged and we desperately needed to repair it, but we were missing a key component. The Archon had suggested that we try to find something salvageable from the Vex.”

“Wait, really? You guys can use Vex technology?”

“Not the way the Vex can, but we can repurpose some of it, just as we repurpose your resources.” With his chin, Mithrax gestures for Ajax to stand, which Ajax does without hesitation. “We weren't exactly sure where to find the part we needed, but we started with what seemed like the closest to our Servitors, and we went to find a Hydra.”

“I guess they're both big floaty machines, huh.”

“...There’s more nuance to it than that, but you're on the right track. Take out your gun.”

Again, compliance without hesitation. “Where did you learn the word ‘nuance’? I definitely don't talk like that.”

“Your Ghost, when it was making fun of you for your poor Eliksni dialect.”

“I wish I could say I was surprised.”

“My squad tracked Vex movements for several cycles,” Mithrax continues, beginning to slowly pace back and forth. “We were running low on ether, running low on soldiers. We couldn’t afford to screw this up. So, the moment we saw a group of Vex moving with a Hydra, we struck, regardless of the risk.”

Mithrax glances to Ajax for half a second, and it’s enough warning to prepare the Hunter. The Eliksni turns and fires, but Ajax is already rolling out of the way, taking a few shots back at Mithrax in return as he skids to a halt. Neither of them are trying very hard to hit each other, shots easily sailing past both of them.

“We fought hard, but our meager numbers were easily outmatched.” They both pause as Mithrax speaks, the Captain dropping both of his guns. “However, defeating the Vex wasn’t our goal. The Vandals were so preoccupied with simply fighting, they lost sight of the real objective.”

A shift in stance is the only warning Ajax gets this time. In an instant Mithrax is throwing himself at the Guardian, and Ajax can only barely keep himself from getting knocked to the ground. Even when Mithrax has restrained himself to only two arms, Ajax hardly stands a chance wrestling with him, and it’s not long before Mithrax is holding him by the throat with one hand.

Ajax wonders if Mithrax can hear the Exo’s heart pounding in his chest as Mithrax chuckles. “While the Vandals threw themselves to their deaths, I went after the Hydra. Some of the others followed my lead, and just like that…” With his opposite hand, Mithrax drags his fingers along Ajax’s side, tauntingly gripping just hard enough to draw a hiss of pain from the Guardian. “I jumped the Hydra and ripped the part right from its circuitry.” 

Mithrax digs his fingers into Ajax’s armor as he pulls his hand away, afterwards letting go and letting Ajax down. Ajax idly rubs at his throat, heart still fluttering as the pain quickly begins to subside. “That’s...wow. I don’t know if  _ I _ would have tried that. Did it work?”

“It did.” Straightening his back, Mithrax unfolds his two lower arms behind him, and Ajax can’t help but gawk at the way his form eclipses the neon lights behind him and how grand he looks. “The Prime Servitor was repaired to working condition, and I was promoted to Vandal.”

“A power play like that only got you Vandal?” Ajax snorts, shaking his head. “That alone should have made you Captain.”

“There was...dissent. While some wanted me promoted further, my Captain was furious that I had gone against orders.”

“Even though you were successful?”

“Yes. Insubordination is usually punished with death or amputation, but given the circumstances, I was promoted and traded to a different band. I was moved to a different Ketch entirely, to serve under a different Captain and prevent conflict.”

Ajax rests against the collapsed wall he’d lounged on earlier, half leaning on it, half sitting on it. He can’t help but let out a huff as he crosses his arms. “That’s so  _ petty _ \--you practically saved the mission! How could your Captain be  _ upset _ about that?”

“She believed I undermined her authority,” Mithrax says with the grin evident in his voice, especially when he clicks in amusement as Ajax rolls his eyes with his entire head. “A Dreg, making a better call than a Captain? If I’d stayed, it would have upset the chain of command. The band would be divided. It was a risk to the entire Ketch.”

“Sounds like she wasn’t a very good Captain.”

“She wasn’t.” This time Ajax laughs. “My next Captain wasn’t much better. He knew what had happened and was wary of me acting out. I stayed a Vandal for a long time, and would have likely stayed a Vandal if it wasn’t for Taniks.”

“ _ No way. _ ” Ajax jerks upright, now standing at full attention. “You--you knew  _ Taniks _ ? Taniks, the Scarred? The one with the--the robot arms?” Mithrax nods, clearly pleased with Ajax’s surprise. “Holy  _ shit _ , he’s the one who killed Andal--how well did you know him? Was he an asshole? He worked with Skolas, I bet he was a total ass--is it true that he built his own arms after his old Kell cut them off? How did he build arms with no arms? Did he use his feet? Or did he--”

“You’re babbling.”

“Can you blame me? You worked with  _ Taniks _ ! He’s--! He’s one of the few Eliksni famous enough that every Guardian knows his name!”

Ajax isn’t sure whether or not Mithrax can actually roll his eyes, but he mimics the head movement of doing so. “Now he’s dead, so clearly he didn’t live up to his own legacy.”

“Taniks was with the House of Wolves, though. So you were--?”

“He worked with Skolas, but he was not a member of the House of Wolves. He was a mercenary.”

“The Eliksni have mercenaries? I thought you guys were all about House loyalty and stuff. Uh, though I guess there’s House of Exile, and they don’t even have like, a Kell. Hey, do they have a Prime Servitor? How do they handle their ether distribution if they don’t have a--”

“Babbling. Again.” The Guardian lets out a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as Mithrax curiously eyes him. “I didn’t realize you had such great interest in the Eliksni.”

Ajax awkwardly shrugs. “We don’t know much about you guys. You have your own hierarchy and culture, but all we ever talk about is the best ways to shoot you.” There’s a silence as they both take in the weight of the statement, until Ajax breaks it by clearing his throat. “Anyway. You got promoted because of Taniks?”

“...Right. We’d hired Taniks to help us take control of a massive glimmer deposit. Practically an entire canyon, the walls rich with glimmer. He was a promised a huge cut if we could get to it, the issue was that it was being guarded by the Vex. With a Gate Lord.”

“Mithrax.” The disbelief in Ajax’s voice is almost palpable.

“None of us were excited about it either. Taniks came up with the plan to make one of our Skiffs into a massive bomb. Have a Servitor drive it right into the Gate Lord. Our Captain hated the idea, refused to throw away one of our Skiffs if we didn’t have to. It was our best shot though, and we all knew it.”

“I’m sure Taniks was real pleased.”

“I was the one who stood up and told the Captain he was a fool. The Captain was even  _ less _ happy about that, since he’d already suspected I’d be insubordinate eventually. The Captain pulled a gun on me before I could even think to pull my own--but Taniks shot the Captain first. Put him down just like that. Walked over to his corpse, picked up his guns, and handed them to me. ‘ _ Since you have a brain, this is your Ketch now _ .’”

Ajax honestly wishes Mithrax could see the way his mouth is gaping behind his helmet. “You can’t possibly be serious. Everyone was okay with that? Your Kell let that  happen? A mercenary walks in, kills the Captain, rearranges the chain of command, and everyone is cool with that?”

There’s a low rumble from the Eliksni as he walks over to Ajax, standing directly in front of the Guardian and towering over him. “Nobody was going to challenge the Captain and the mercenary who killed a Gate Lord.”

“Oh _. _ ”

Mithrax keeps laughing as Ajax tries to process the information. “I wish you could have seen it. You and your penchant for destruction would have enjoyed it.”

“Holy shit, where were you when I needed to get the head of a--wait,  _ penchant? _ Alright, you’re bullshitting me.”

“What?” Ajax puts his hands on his hips, cocking his head up at the Captain who remains unmoved. “Your Ghost--”

“There’s no way you’ve been picking up English this well from our conversations alone. That’s not the way I talk, and you’ve only seen my Ghost three times in passing.”

Everything seems to go still, the air suddenly heavy with tension. Mithrax says nothing in return and instead straightens out his back, making his stance rigid and imposing as he looks down at the Guardian. Ajax stands just as proud, if not as tall, their gazes locked in silent challenge. It’s hard to tell how long the standoff lasts, but when the realization strikes, Ajax’s entire body goes stiff.

“The radio. The Vanguard’s transmissions--you’ve been--”

Mithrax takes a step forward and when Ajax tries to subtly step back, his heel meets the low wall behind him. His breath hitches as Mithrax encloses on him, putting them nearly chest to chest. One of Mithrax’s hands goes to Ajax’s pistol, still sitting in the holster at the Guardian’s hip, holding it in place. “I asked if you were sure you wanted to know.”

“You did, but…” Ajax’s hands go to the wall behind him, bracing himself on the ledge so he feels a little less like Mithrax is about to crush him.

“What will you do next?” There’s a smugness in Mithrax’s voice that makes Ajax want to kick his ass, but if he can still salvage this situation, he’d rather not. The choice between Mithrax and the Vanguard isn’t one Ajax really wants to make. The fact that he’s hesitating at all should worry him more than it does.

There’s a pregnant pause and a moment of thought before Ajax takes a deep breath and looks Mithrax in the eyes. “We’ve been intercepting Fallen transmissions. Direct feed to almost all of your radio chatter.” Mithrax freezes, shoulders tensing. Ajax laughs. “Now, what will  _ you _ do?”

The Captain takes a step back, eyes fixed on Ajax with an intensity that almost makes him shiver. “...Why tell me this?” Mithrax's words are slow, still processing what the Guardian has just said. Ajax wishes he could flash a grin.

“Either we both report the leaks or we both keep our mouths shut.” Ajax casually leans back and crosses his arms as if he wasn’t panicking only a moment ago. “It’s up to you, Captain. Just making sure we’re both being held responsible here.”

Those aren't the only two options, of course. The guns at their sides are always available should either of them decide to end this arrangement. Ajax’s gamble is riding entirely on the idea that Mithrax values their friendship--if he even sees them as friends--as much as Ajax does. Enough to still care about and protect his allegiances, but also to withhold a certain amount of information from people who don’t need to know.

He’ll wonder how much of this counts as betrayal of the Vanguard’s trust later.

Mithrax takes his time thinking this over, staying close to the Guardian and keeping him crowded against the wall. The silence is deafening to the point that Ajax isn’t even sure if he can hear Mithrax breathing, and when Mithrax finally does speak, Ajax can’t help but start in surprise.

“It would seem we both accidentally stumbled across a breach in security.” He finally moves away and Ajax feels the weight lifted from his shoulders immediately. “No names.”

“No names,” Ajax parrots back in affirmation. “Wait--we keep tabs on your Captains as much as we can, but do you guys keep tabs on specific Guardians?”

Mithrax glances to Ajax, crossing his lower arms to mirror the Hunter. “You already used your one question.”

“Aw, hell.” The snap from the leather clad fingers is mostly silent, but gets the disappointment across nonetheless. “Alright, fine. Your turn to ask me something.”

“I need time to think about my question.”

“What! I asked mine immediately, you didn’t give me time to think about it!”

“You didn’t ask.” Ajax opens his mouth to say something, realizes he doesn’t have an argument to that, and sighs in defeat. Mithrax clicks in amusement. “For a moment you had me fooled. I nearly thought you had some wit in that thick skull of yours.”

The Hunter is in a fighting stance with his sword drawn in an instant. “Alright, just because you’ve been picking up Ikora’s vocabulary doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass!”

Behind the helmet, Mithrax smiles.


	4. (All) Eyes On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mithrax isn't the only one who's noticed Ajax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GRACIOUS you guys are so sweet!!! Sorry if I don't reply to every comment but I do read all of them and they make my heart light up every time. Thank you all so much!

The report of a Wizard comes only moments before the report of an Ogre.

Mithrax is already barking orders and getting everyone to their places as he begins to arm himself. The Hive had been restless as of late which was trouble enough, but an Ogre was bad news. Is it just to flex their strength against the Eliksni, or the first stages of something worse to come? Either way, he's the highest commanding Captain on Titan at the moment; defending their territory is on his shoulders.

He's hardly listening to the chatter over the comms until something catches his attention.

“( _There's a sparrow heading towards the Arcology. Guardian inbound._ )”

“( _Just one?_ )”

“( _Yeah, no squad. It's the same guy._ )”

“( _No shit? This fast?_ )”

“( _The guy must practically live here._ )”

“( _Why the fuck live_ here _when you have the--_ )”

“(Who is the Guardian arriving?)” The sound of Mithrax's voice startles the two Dregs on the channel. If it were any other situation he'd chew them out for gossiping on duty, but luckily for them, this is far more important.

There’s the slightest of pauses, both Dregs still confused by how calm Mithrax sounds, before one of them snaps to attention. “( _Sir! Intercepted transmissions refer to him as Ajax-8!)”_

_“(Yeah, he's the one who--)”_

_“(Shut up! Don't say it!)”_

“(Who **what**?)” His tone is far less calm this time.

Another pause. “ _(...The one who beat us to the reactor, sir.)_ ”

That would certainly explain the hesitation in telling him. If Mithrax had actually lost the reactor to Ajax as he'd reported, his ego might be a bit bruised. As it stands, however, Mithrax is more intrigued than anything. It's been awhile since Mithrax has actually seen Ajax in his element; the Guardian was almost somewhat decent as a swordsman, but Ajax was more talented as a sharpshooter from what Mithrax remembers.

The Captain considers for a moment. “(Everyone is to hold fire on the Guardian. Nobody's killing him but me.)”

“ _(O-Of course, sir.)_ ” The Dreg begins relaying the order to the others as Mithrax resumes preparing. Ajax won't mind a few bullets from Mithrax and won't need to put down anyone in his band, hopefully. The Guardian’s been avoiding killing Eliksni where he can, despite Mithrax's advice otherwise. Mithrax certainly hasn't been holding back on Ajax’s behalf.

A Vandal informs Mithrax that the teleporter is ready, and with one last check of his equipment, he rushes out.

 

The Fallen are far too distracted with the outpouring of Hive to worry about Ajax skirting through the field. A couple glance his way in surprise when he pops a Ghoul or Acolyte here and there, but none take the time to stop their battle and pursue him.

It's not surprising they'd extend their forces in an effort to keep the Hive suppressed. Ogres aren’t summoned for nothing, and Ajax would rather put it down now before finding out what the Hive are planning. He doesn't bother with the small fries where he doesn't have to, bypassing most of the battle entirely as he maneuvers behind cover or sticks to the sides.

Ajax skids to a stop at the top of the stairs. Down below is the Wizard, screeching and tormenting a handful of Dregs, while the Ogre is blasting a servitor that's trying to protect two Vandals and a Captain--

Mithrax’s eyes meet Ajax’s, just briefly, before he goes back to making sure he's not disintegrated by the beast.

A Knight is on Ajax before he can even form a plan of attack. It goes down easily enough with a knife to the underside of its jaw and a bullet to the head, but is just as quickly replaced by another. Ajax tries to make his way down the stairs but is stopped nearly every step by one or two more of something else. With a frustrated sigh, Ajax holsters his hand cannon, drawing his sword.

He’d be self-conscious about Mithrax watching him if they weren’t both too busy for judgement at the moment. As it stands, his swordsmanship has improved drastically over the past two months. Cutting down the swarms of Hive around him is almost trivial compared to fighting Mithrax, and when the mob rushing at him finally begins to thin, Ajax feels like he’s practically glowing with how damn _cool_ he feels.

The mood is ruined when the Ogre lets out a bellowing roar that seems to shake the entire underground. Ajax can just barely make out Mithrax on one knee, nursing a wound in his side while cutting down a Thrall with one of his other hands. The Ogre is taking a quick breath between attacks, and Ajax’s feet carry him into action before he realizes it.

With a high underhand toss, Ajax lobs a grenade at the Ogre and manages to catch its legs. It’s not nearly enough to really wound it, but it does grab its attention, and it begins to turn to face Ajax as the Guardian bounds down the stairs, blade out and slicing through anything that tries to stop him. He doesn’t stop until he’s a meager 10 feet away from the monstrosity and he watches its shoulders heave, about to unleash its laser again.

Ajax drops the sword and draws the Golden Gun.

Light bursts from his chest, illuminating the previously dim area and wrapping the Hunter in a golden aura. He doesn’t think, simply makes the motion of holding the gun and it’s in his hands, fiery and glorious, almost searing to the touch. The beaked visage of the Nighthawk resonates with him, eyes burning gold and white and boring into the Ogre as Ajax raises the gun. Neither of them hesitate.

They both fire.

 

Mithrax raises an arm to shield his eyes from the blast. Everything seems to slow to a crawl around him as the darkness returns, everyone eager to see the aftermath and determine the victor, and Mithrax finds himself holding his breath. The tension is so thick he’s not sure if his blade alone could cut it.

When the dust finally settles, Mithrax can’t help the grin behind his helmet. The hulking form of the Ogre is burning away, being disintegrated by the light, and Ajax is lowering his arm, the gun dissipating into nothingness. The Guardian makes the shape of a gun with his hand and blows the tips of his index and middle finger, taking just a few seconds to look nonchalant about what he’d just done before going for his hand cannon.

Ajax can’t hide the quick glance he shoots Mithrax’s way. The man isn’t very subtle.

Time resumes and Mithrax is back to barking orders at his troops, commanding them to press forward. The Wizard appears to be retreating, Acolytes and Knights staying behind to cover its escape, and as much as Mithrax wants to take the Wizard down now to have one less threat to worry about, he knows it’s wiser to simply hold this position and territory until reinforcements can arrive.

The rest of the Eliksni rush onward, chasing out the last of the Hive and already beginning to set up defenses and secure every entrance and exit in the area. Ajax is paused, watching the Eliksni move past him. It’s hard to tell with the helmet, but Mithrax has a few guesses what’s going through Ajax’s mind. Confusion, awe, relief--coming down from an adrenaline high that rocked his very being. Mithrax doesn’t know how much Ajax’s light trick takes out of him, but he knows that Guardians can do it only so often because of the toll it takes on their bodies.

Eventually Ajax’s attention settles back on Mithrax, and his shoulders tense. The Guardian looks uncertain now what he’s supposed to do next since the Eliksni aren’t attacking him and he just openly worked alongside them. Should he stay? Go? Talk? Fight?

Mithrax doesn’t give him a choice. He begins walking towards Ajax while drawing his swords, and Ajax gets the message. Immediately Ajax turns on his heel and sprints out, past a few startled Dregs and through the exit before they can do anything about it.

“ _(Sir, should we pursue the Guardian?)_ ” The Dreg on the channel sounds hesitant to chase after the man who just single-handedly put down an Ogre.

Mithrax hums thoughtfully into his mic. “(Securing the perimeter is more important. Let him go.)”

“ _(Yes, sir.)_ ”

“(Besides--he’ll be back soon enough.)”

 

It’s the next day that Ajax is creeping down the halls of the Arcology again. Normally he’s used to the quiet, but now it feels jarring compared to the ruckus from the battle before. Every footstep seems to echo, no matter how silently Ajax is actually moving. His fingers tap idly on his holstered gun, ready for anything to jump out at him or catch him off guard.

Nothing does. When he runs into Mithrax, the Captain is waiting as patiently as ever, perhaps even more casually than usual. Ajax lets out an audible sigh of relief and puts his hand over his heart. “Everything back to normal? I was afraid there was gonna be another Hive army or something.”

Mithrax, leaning against a wall with his lower arms crossed, snorts in response. “As normal as it gets around here, at least.”

“Good, good. That should be enough excitement to keep Titan tied over for awhile.” Ajax rounds the nearby debris, looking for the most comfortable block of concrete to perch on, but stops when he feels the weight of Mithrax’s gaze. “Ominous staring is never a good sign. What’s up?”

The Captain is quiet for a moment longer, eyes raking in Ajax’s form, before he uncrosses his arms and pushes himself away from the wall. “You were impressive.”

Ajax blinks. “Oh. I...thanks. You guys were pretty cool out there too, honestly.” His eyes flick to Mithrax’s side. “How’s your injury?”

“Superficial.”

Silence.

“Alright M, what's up? I feel like we should be a bit more excited about, I don't know, killing an Ogre and fighting off the Hive?” Mithrax doesn't look away, instead keeping his eyes firmly locked with Ajax’s while he thinks. It's entirely unnerving and makes Ajax shiver.

Finally, Mithrax speaks. “Some of the Barons are starting to ask about you.”

“About me?”

“Who you are, why you keep showing up here, why you keep getting in our way.” Mithrax steps closer to Ajax. “Why you aren't fighting us.”

“Uh. Are you telling me to fight you guys more?”

“Do whatever you please,” Mithrax says with a surprisingly flippant shrug. “This changes nothing for me. I am just ensuring you make an informed decision how to proceed.”

Ajax takes a moment to look at the Captain, really look at him, and gets the feeling that Mithrax genuinely isn't that concerned about it. It's almost infuriating how relaxed Mithrax is, but Ajax will certainly take it over the worry and paranoia some of the other Guardians seem constantly riddled with. “I'll be sure to wear my sneaking boots next time,” Ajax says with a grin to his voice. “I'm more flattered than anything, honestly. Sounds like I'm finally someone important.”

Mithrax shakes his head. “You were important the moment we crossed paths.”

“You're gonna make me blush, Captain.” The look Mithrax gives would paralyze most people, but Ajax knows well enough it's in jest. Probably. The Guardian gives him a gentle slug on the shoulder. “So? You thought my swordfighting was impressive?”

That makes Mithrax throw his head back and laugh. “Your _shooting_ was impressive. Your swordsmanship was just barely passable.”

“Oh come on! I looked so cool out there!”

“I would have struck you down in an instant.”

“Better put your glimmer where your mouth is, pal. I'm an Eliksni urban legend now. I'm legendary.”

As Ajax plants a foot onto a broken column and strikes a pose, Mithrax snorts and elbows him in the side. “I knew telling you would be a mistake.”

“You fucking bet it was. Now are you gonna fight me or what?” Mithrax shakes his head as he draws his sword, and Ajax can't help the cheery laugh that bubbles out of his chest as he draws his own.


	5. The Less I Know, The Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The things that make people different bring them together as much as they push them apart.
> 
> Well meaning questions end up spiraling into an uncomfortable topic of conversation. Neither leave satisfied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are so many things I want to say about this chapter but I'll end up rambling forever if I do so just some brief stuff:
> 
> \- Thank you so much for the continued support! It really means a lot!!  
> \- Sorry to give my Guardian so much backstory but, without spoiling anything, I promise it's all plot relevant!  
> \- I ramped up the Gay Slider so prepare yourself for that  
> \- I'd apologize about Exo rambling but y'all seem to like that sooooo here we are  
> \- Enjoy!

Ajax is down in the hangar, inspecting his ship when he hears Cayde whisper-shout his name. He makes an effort to look inconspicuous as he glances to Cayde, but whatever Cayde is trying to say, he’s attempting to silently mouth it. Cayde doesn’t have  _ lips  _ though so it doesn’t really work, and Ajax ends up squinting in confusion and becomes entirely distracted trying to decipher what the Vanguard is trying to tell him.

So of course, he doesn’t realize that Cayde is trying to tell him that Zavala is coming. Ajax doesn’t realize until Cayde is covering his face with his hand and Zavala is standing right at Ajax’s side. “Heading to Titan, Guardian?”

An undignified shriek is only  _ barely _ bitten back, though Ajax can’t hide the way he physically jumps in surprise. “Ah, Commander, sir!” Ajax salutes, awkwardly stiff as Zavala smiles and waves off the formality. “Yeah, just...making my usual rounds, sir. Ikora recommended that if you have a consistent schedule, it’s better for your memory, so I’ve been trying to normalize when I make my rounds where. Is it that weird? A lot of people have been asking me about it, I guess they’re just used to me being scatterbrained...”

“One of Cayde’s Hunters, taking Ikora’s advice? How strange indeed.” Cayde hollers something indignantly from the background, pulling a chuckle from Ajax and Zavala both. “I’ve heard from Sloane you’ve been turning in quite a few bounties. You’ve got one of the highest body counts on Titan from killing Hive alone.”

“Oh,” is the lame response Ajax gives. Ajax can practically feel synthetic sweat dripping down his neck, his fingers fidgeting with his belt in an attempt to look casual. “Is that, uh, a problem? Should I...kill  _ less _ Hive?”  _ Don’t say focus on the Fallen. Please, Traveler, don’t say to kill more Fallen. _

“Not at all. In fact, we’re very impressed.” The Exo nearly exhales in relief, but stops when Zavala puts a large hand on his shoulder. “I know that facing the Hive was difficult for you after your...reset. While we’re certainly grateful there’s less Hive to deal with, are you doing alright? If there’s anything you want to talk about, we’re all here to listen.”

“ _ Oh. _ ” Ajax’s eyes flick away before he awkwardly takes a small step back, enough to signal to Zavala to let go. “I’m fine, Commander. I just…”

Ajax doesn’t have any more of a response than that. Zavala can sense the discomfort and shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. If it’s nothing, it’s nothing. Just remember that everyone is here to support you.” Ajax gives a half-hearted nod as Zavala leaves to go speak to the other Hunter. “Cayde, Holliday was telling me something about some missing sparrow parts…”

  
  


“I have a question.”

Ajax pauses and lowers the knife he’d been inspecting, looking up to Mithrax. The Eliksni has been fixing one of his guns while Ajax has been...doing just about anything to busy his hands, his mind elsewhere entirely. “Finally ready to ask your culture question?”

“No.” Mithrax ignores the suspicious look the Guardian gives him from across the room. “It’s about you.”

“ _ Moi? _ ” Ajax presses his free hand to his chest, gesturing to himself with a feigned dramatic gasp. “Captain, you flatter me so. Ask away.”

With one final lookover, Mithrax sets his rifle down and turns to face Ajax properly. “You are inorganic, correct?”

“...What?” Ajax sheaths his knife, also turning to mirror Mithrax. “No, I’m organic. I’m alive.”

“But you’re a machine, aren’t you?”

There’s a long silence that follows. It’s hard to explain--someone probably told him about it once, in detail, but that memory is long lost to the data wipes. Now even the Exos who remain don’t understand their programming, their machinery, or even their purpose.

When the quiet lasts just a moment too long to be characteristic, Mithrax eases himself to his feet. “My opinion of you won’t change regardless of what the answer is. I’m simply curious.”

“Thanks. I just…” With a heavy sigh, Ajax turns and slumps back into the corner of the room he’s been occupying, facing the adjacent wall and pulling his knife out again to idly inspect. “It’s complicated.”

“You don’t have to speak about it if you don’t wish to.” Footsteps echo through the hall as Mithrax crosses the room to sit on the ground, back against the wall that Ajax isn’t facing, close enough to be near but not enough to intrude. “However, I enjoy when you teach me new things, regardless of their complexity.”

Ajax clicks. “You sound  _ just _ like Ikora and Zavala. I can’t believe you tried to play it off like you learned English from me.”

“They were the ones I heard most often. We intercepted a great deal of transmissions from the Guardians, so much that we had to have them filtered through. Anything important enough to be saved was then sent up to the Captains. The Vanguard was usually involved in those.”

“And Cayde hates being stuck on radio duty, so naturally it was always the other two. Makes sense.”

“Another Captain forwarded me a transmission that her Dregs kept for her amusement. One of the few times Cayde-6 was overseeing a mission, he spent the majority of the operation complaining that he spilled coffee on his keyboard.”

Ajax finally laughs. “He doesn’t even need to drink coffee!”

The sound of familiar laughter makes Mithrax relax against the wall, watching Ajax’s shoulders shake as he wheezes out his last few chuckles. “Coffee is a stimulant, right? Why take it if all he’s doing is communications?”

“I mean, it is a stimulant, but a pretty minor one. Like, it’s not a combat booster or anything, it mostly just helps keep people awake. But I don’t think Cayde actually benefits from it. I’m sure Cayde just drinks it because he…” For a moment Ajax is quiet, clearly wrestling with what he wants to say. Mithrax doesn’t rush him. “He’s an Exo, like me, and we don’t sleep very well. On top of that, Hunters are notorious for having poor sleeping habits.”

“So he drinks coffee as if it’s helping him stay awake. For show.” For normalcy.

Ajax shrugs. “He might just like the taste of it. I don’t know. I don’t want to put words in his mouth. If Cayde finds out that I was gossiping about him behind his back--”

“With an Eliksni.”

“--no, he already knows about that part, and apparently he’s fine with that, but  _ gossip-- _ ”

“He  _ knows _ ?” The Captain’s tone is incredulous, and though Ajax is trying to wave it off like it’s nothing, Mithrax turns to face him completely. “You told one of your Vanguard about this?”

“I didn’t tell him, he figured it out!” Already Mithrax is doing that thing where he’s starting to bristle like a cat, so Ajax raises his hands defensively. “Look, he was the one I asked for Eliksni phrases when I was first coming to meet you, and after that he put two and two together. He’s not going to tell anyone. We can trust him.”

Mithrax relaxes by a fraction while still eyeing Ajax suspiciously. “Why? Why wouldn’t he tell anyone?”

“Because Cayde’s really bad at his job?” The joke doesn’t land. Mithrax stares blankly at him. “Hey, come on, that was hilarious.”

“Ajax.”

“Right. I trust him because he’s just as secretive as I am. I think it’s a Hunter trait, but we all trust each other to take care of our own business. Give each other a certain amount of space and discretion. Cayde would never betray that trust.”

That seems to finally get Mithrax to calm down, but his tone is still hesitant. “Not even for the Vanguard?”

“He’s a Hunter first, Vanguard second. ...Though, I think Zavala might have us both thrown from the tower if he heard me say that.”

As Mithrax takes the time to chew on that information, he settles back against the wall, gaze focused on something else on the other side of the room. Ajax awkwardly continues fussing with his knife until Mithrax finally speaks again. “So Exos need to eat and drink, despite being machines?”

“We need to sleep, but...I don’t know if we  _ need _ to eat and drink? I know we  _ can _ , but I’m honestly not sure it’s necessary. Guardians don’t need to sustain themselves as much as normal people, I think.”

“Do you feel pain?”

“I don’t whine at you every time you hit me too hard for nothing, y’know.” Mithrax looks like he’s about to ask something else, but stops himself. Ajax gives him a curious look. “You’ve already got me answering Exo questions, you might as well keep going.”

“Can I…hmm.” He trails off and huffs, struggling with his wording. “...How similar to humans do Exos look?”

Ajax immediately catches what Mithrax is actually looking for. Wordlessly, he scoots himself across the floor, closing the few feet of distance between himself and Mithrax. The Captain raises his shoulders in surprise as Ajax fusses with his helmet, unlatching it with a hiss before removing it.

He sets the Nighthawk on his lap and rolls his shoulders, trying not to look nervous as he glances over to Mithrax. “Humans and Exos both have two eyes and a mouth, so...pretty much identical, right?” Ajax laughs despite how anxious he feels.

It’s impossible to tell what Mithrax is thinking from just the way he’s staring at Ajax, but somehow, Ajax doesn’t feel like he’s being judged or appraised. If anything, Mithrax’s curiosity seems only heightened now that Ajax has bared his face. Mithrax reaches out with one of his upper arms and Ajax doesn’t move, instead keeping his eyes locked with Mithrax. The Eliksni’s hand finds Ajax’s cheek and takes a moment to run a thumb over the smooth metal, feeling the hard edges and subtle divots and seams. His face is more complex than the helmet itself, and Mithrax seems almost enraptured with studying him piece by piece.

Ajax lets Mithrax explore, hand tracing along the shapes of Ajax’s face, until Mithrax’s fingers start to pass through the openings in his cheeks, effectively entering his mouth. “Uh, M?”

Mithrax recoils as if he’d been shocked, quickly pulling his arm back. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have--”

“It’s okay, you were curious--”

“I didn’t realize--”

“No, no no, really, it’s cool, it’s cool.”

The silence between them is unbearably awkward until Ajax starts laughing, leaning his forehead against Mithrax’s shoulder as he nearly doubles over in laughter. Mithrax looks horribly embarrassed by the way he’s crossing his arms, but Ajax can’t help but be amused. “You don’t have to  _ laugh _ .”

“Sorry! I just think it’s, it’s…”

“It’s  _ what _ .”

The word that wants to come out is ‘cute,’ but Ajax has a feeling Mithrax won’t be too happy about that. “Flattering. I’ve never had anyone so interested in my face. Exos are pretty common back at the Tower.” Ajax sits back upright, and though he can’t physically smile, the coy grin is clear in his voice. “Don’t the Eliksni revere machines?”

Mithrax makes a strangled sound that Ajax has never heard him make before, though by the way the Captain quickly turns away, it reminds Ajax of someone awkwardly clearing their throat. “You’ve already asked your culture question. I still have questions about you.” The attempt to change the topic is thinly veiled, but Ajax supposes he’ll have mercy on Mithrax this time.

They never go back to the original question about organic versus inorganic; instead, all of Mithrax’s questions stay rather basic. If Exos can or need to bathe, if Exos need oxygen, if their bodies rust, if their veins are filled with blood or if they have oil instead, and so forth. Ajax can only answer what he’s personally experienced the answer to, though he certainly speculates on everything he doesn’t know for certain. A good deal of time passes as they find themselves practically pressed together, Ajax leaning against Mithrax as he wildly gesticulates along to his words, Mithrax listening with fascination and amusement.

“...and that’s my theory on why Exos aren’t affected by magnets.” 

It’s impossible for Mithrax to keep the fondness out of his voice as peers down at the Guardian next to him, even as he teases. “I originally thought you were exaggerating how much of a mystery Exos are, but you’ve certainly convinced me on how little you understand them.”

“Do I look like a goddamn Archon to you? I know about knives and guns and larger knives. If you want a better answer, good luck finding some nerd willing to meet you in this (shithole) every week.”

“I can’t believe the only Eliksni words  you remember are the obscenities.” Mithrax hums in thought as he considers his next question, Ajax busying his hands by fussing with his hand cannon this time. “Here’s one I’ve wanted to know for awhile. What are the number designations in Exo names for?”

The gun nearly tumbles out of Ajax’s hands, but he manages to catch it after an awkward moment of fumbling and leaning forward to keep his grip on it. “That’s--ah. It’s not really important, it’s on paperwork and stuff but we don’t call each other by it usually.”

Though Ajax is trying to play it off and deflect the conversation, he looks more nervous than actually upset by the topic, so Mithrax continues to press. “Only Exo Guardians have numbers assigned to them. It’s not long enough to be a serial, and it can’t be rank if you’re the only ones that have them.”

There’s a pause, a beat of silence, and a long exhale. Ajax leans back and lets his head thud against the wall. “It’s...what iteration we’re on. How many times we’ve been wiped.” They take a moment to sit on the unasked question lingering. “Exos...sometimes get their memories erased. We’re not really sure why, and sometimes it’s not the whole thing, or parts bleed through, but it happens to all of us. We’re not completely sure what causes it.”

Ajax can’t bear to look at Mithrax, so he stares at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the neon lights. “I’m Ajax-8. This is the eighth time I’ve been...me.”

A thousand questions still hang in the air, and Ajax waits for them to come up, preparing himself to dig up old wounds again. They never do. Instead, he hears an almost remorseful response from Mithrax. “I shouldn’t have asked you.”

“It was a totally legitimate question.” Despite trying to sound nonchalant, it comes out sounding as exhausted as Ajax feels. “It’s not easy to talk about, but it happens. It’s just a fact of life. Dodging around the issue forever won’t make it any easier to accept or deal with.”

“You don’t have to keep talking about it if you don’t wish to.”  _ I want to hear it, but not if it’s going to hurt you. _

“I didn’t become a Guardian until I was Ajax-7. Whoever I was before then is completely lost to time.” He takes a deep breath. “Ajax-7 was… When I was Ajax-7, I was some hotshot Guardian, apparently. Fought the Vex in the Black Guardian, made some cool explosions, the standard stuff. And then...then there was Crota.”

Mithrax stiffens. “The Hive prince?” The small nod from Ajax is enough for Mithrax to let out a low rumble of interest.

“I went in with my fireteam to try to gather some information, but things went south just as we were in the midst of it all. Our Warlock, Yannick, nearly got dragged away by Hive, and the thing is that when the Hive use you for a ritual, they take your light--you die and you don’t come back. Or...they take your soul and you go somewhere worse.

“I wasn’t willing to let that happen, so instead of retreating, I did everything I could to fight off the swarms of Hive. Every bullet, every knife, every bit of light I had, and it was actually working. Yannick was wounded, but I was managing to hold them back long enough for our leader to get to him.

“And then, the Deathsinger showed up.

“She did something to me. I don’t know what, but I saw something. Something I couldn’t handle seeing, something I was never meant to see. When my team managed to drag me out of there, I was alive, but apparently I was screaming for them to kill me.”

The story of Dredgen Yor echoes in the back of his mind, and Ajax has to take another steadying breath. Even if he doesn’t remember what he saw, he knows what might’ve happened to him. What he could have become.

“Yet you’re still here,” Mithrax ponders aloud with a low and thoughtful voice. “Killing you wouldn’t have been enough. Your Ghost would have revived you and you would still remember. They could have permanently killed you…”

“But my leader was just as stubborn as I was, and she wasn’t going to let it happen. She did the only thing she could think of to save me, and that was to blast enough arc energy through my head to make my circuits go haywire. It nearly completely destroyed my body, and when my Ghost put me back together, the damage had already been done. I came to later with no recollection of the mission, or who they were, or even who I was.”

It’s not until he’s done speaking that Ajax realizes he's been pulling his legs to his chest, curling in on himself, helmet pressed into his chestplate. He forces his legs back down, willing himself to relax, slumping against the wall. Then it’s quiet for a long time, only the familiar sounds of old screens and neon lights and the creaking of the ancient facility filling the silence between them.

Eventually, Ajax is the one to break the silence. “Sorry to dump all that on you.” His voice is quiet and sheepish, and when Mithrax looks to him Ajax feels absolutely small under his gaze. “You don’t need to hear my sob story--”

Mithrax raises both right hands and Ajax stops. “Don't apologize. I learned more about you and your fellow Guardians just now than I have from any scouting patrol or stolen transmission.”

“Oh.” Pride fills Ajax for about two seconds before concern sets in. “Wait, like what?”

“That the nearly-immortal Guardians fear death more than any other creature I’ve ever met.”

“...Okay, I don’t know about  _ that _ \--”

“And, more importantly, Guardians value each other’s lives more than their own. A weak and foolish practice, but admirable in its own right.” Despite the words being condescending, Mithrax sounds almost genuinely impressed. Perhaps a little bewildered, even.

Ajax stares at Mithrax and for a moment, neither of them is sure what the other is thinking. Just as quickly, Ajax decides he’s done with the heavy atmosphere for now and stretches his limbs, making sure that his arms crowd Mithrax’s space in an obnoxious manner as he lets out a long, exaggerated yawn. “If you’re going to make me sit through an Eliksni ‘Strength and Glory’ lecture again, I’m leaving.”

The sound Mithrax makes is somewhere between an amused clicking and an annoyed growl as he rises to his feet, Ajax following his lead. “Since you’re lucky enough to have your skull intact, maybe I should beat some Strength and Glory into it.”

“I’m not sure you’re using that phrase correctly, but consider me properly intimidated, Captain. Let me at least get my sword before you start.”

  
  


While Mithrax is fixing his cape and preparing to leave, Ajax softly calls his name and catches his attention. He turns to face Ajax, but Ajax doesn’t do the same, instead looking somewhere else away from him.

“This might sound weird, but the Eliksni… Is it really so strange for Guardians to value one another so much?”

It takes a moment for the purpose of the question to click. “You’re asking if the Eliksni place value in each other? If we feel  _ compassion _ towards one another?”

“Sorry,” Ajax quickly says, ducking his head. “I didn’t--I didn’t mean it like that.”

“We cannot afford the luxury of compassion on the battlefield.” Mithrax’s tone is even and calm, like he’s stating a fact rather than talking about emotions and lives. “We have no planet. We have no home. The only thing we can do is fight to survive. If someone can’t survive, they’re of no use to us.”

“I see.” His own voice feels distant and quiet. “I was just curious. Trying to understand.” Ajax tries to stay looking away, but when Mithrax’s footsteps approach, the Hunter tentatively looks up. Mithrax is standing perhaps a tad closer than most would consider comfortable, but Ajax doesn’t move.

“Our people still  _ care _ about each other. House politics aside, we all want the same things. We need ether, we need shelter, we mate and have children and need to protect our families with everything we’ve got. But we can’t have any of that without strength. Either you’re strong enough to make it through the day and keep on protecting your people, or you’re weak and you can at least have the satisfaction of knowing your death was for the Eliksni. The strong dying for the weak doesn’t help anyone.”

Ajax stares at Mithrax for a long time, their eyes locked in what feels like an endless trance. Silently, they desperately try to will the other into understanding where they’re coming from. Compassion versus strength, sacrifice versus waste.

Neither of them understand. Not really. But they get a little closer. 

Eventually, Ajax breaks the trance and casually slips his helmet back on. “Wanna see who can kill the most Hive before we meet again?”

Mithrax isn’t deterred in the slightest by the sudden topic change. “You’re always so eager to find new ways to lose to me.” Ajax gives a hand gesture that Mithrax learned, long ago from previous Guardians, is fairly rude. He simply laughs as he turns to walk away, though he pauses as he nears the doorway. “Ajax?”

Ajax stops midway through putting his hood up. “Yeah, M?”

“When you killed the Knight instead of me, was it to help me, or because you feared the Knight?” The question isn’t pleasant, but Ajax doesn’t shy away. 

“I fear the Hive more than I fear death.”


	6. Recurrence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mithrax and Ajax both have their own demons to deal with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever create side characters just to offhandedly mention and then accidentally give them personality and plot points? Because that's basically this chapter.
> 
> The strike referenced is Savathun's Song.

 

Over the course of two days, the Hive overtake the Arcology, driving the Eliksni out and making the entire place inaccessible.

Mithrax would tell Ajax, but he’s certain the Guardians already know. He has enough to deal with on his end, the other Captains bickering about what’s to be done, the Barons breathing down their necks, the Kell... Mithrax shudders, removing his helmet to rub at his mandibles. The Kell is the last thing he needs to worry about right now. Reclaiming the Arcology comes first.

He’s about to leave to meet with another Captain when one of his Vandals contacts him. “ _ (Sir, Captain Feltras finished the cipher. We’ve got the Guardian’s transmissions. It looks like they’re on the move.) _ ”

“(Patch it through.)” There’s some faint clicking and beeping in the background of his band working, and Mithrax allows himself a moment to relax back into his seat. Might as well spare them the time to listen, given how stressed they’ve been alongside him.

Mithrax pauses on that thought and can’t help but growl in irritation. The worst parts of Ajax are rubbing off on him.

The transmissions start coming through, a few lines operating simultaneously, and the Dregs flip through them before tuning to the Vanguard’s. Zavala’s voice cuts in through the speaker. “ _ \--find out what the Hive are up to. They don’t move in those kinds of numbers unless it’s something big.” _

“ _ Yes, sir. _ ” This one Mithrax doesn’t recognize. They share a few more details, the names of Guardians that Mithrax has never heard of, mission parameters, and the like before the fireteam is given the go-ahead.

With a purr of interest, Mithrax switches his line back to the Vandal. “(Tell Delsik to have her band hold. Let the Guardians throw themselves at the Hive first--see what happens.)” The Vandal gives him the affirmative and moves into action. Mithrax has an inkling that Delsik is about to call him and demand to know why they aren’t on the attack right now, taking on the Guardians and the Hive in one fell swoop. Too eager to die in battle for the chance at glory, just like so many of the other Eliksni. 

He mentally braces himself for that discussion while shooing one of his Vandals away to mobilize a skiff. If the Guardians are busy in the Arcology, Mithrax can at least take this opportunity to act elsewhere.

  
  


Waiting ends up being the wiser choice, for reasons Mithrax wasn’t expecting. The fireteam loses contact with the Vanguard and never comes back.

The same thing happens to the second team. 

Then the third. 

The fourth and fifth don’t fare any better.

It’d be overkill to send an ‘I told you so’ to Delsik, though the thought definitely occurs to Mithrax. Delsik is already on edge, just like every other Eliksni on Titan. Two fireteams happens occasionally for large missions, but Mithrax has never seen three--and  _ five _ was entirely unheard of, even for any of the Barons.

All the Eliksni can do is counterattack elsewhere on Titan. Any attempts by them to enter the Arcology are thoroughly crushed, and the Hive’s hold on the place only seems to tighten with every attempt. They’ve all been forced to a standstill by the Hive, and no one knows what to do about it. The only consolation for Mithrax is that the Guardians are at as much of a loss as the Eliksni are.

In the main chamber of Delsik’s ketch, the Captains are gathered together to be frustrated and confused as a  _ team _ , as if that’s going to solve anything. Delsik is pacing back and forth restlessly, eager to fight but with nothing she can actually take down. One of the newer Captains, one Mithrax hasn’t bothered learning the name of yet, is meekly trying to come up with a way to bust into the Arcology, to at least run reconnaissance and survey the situation if nothing else.

“(That’s already failed, repeatedly,)” Feltras drones, not even turning away from his console. “(If you’re determined to kill yourself, at least come up with a new way of doing it.)”

The novice Captain tenses, but wisely keeps his mandibles shut. Mithrax mentally gives him points for the restraint. Feltras continues on with something about trying to listen in on Hive transmissions, but something in the Arcology is blocking all signals. Explains why the Guardians keep losing contact, doesn’t bring them any closer to actually accomplishing anything.

Delsik looks like she wants to say something when a nervous little Dreg speaks up from Feltras’ side. “(Captains, the Guardians just opened another line.)” Feltras gives them a nod and the Dreg plays the transmission through the center console.

“ _ Guardians, report. _ ” Zavala again, though he sounds much more strained than he did several hours ago.

“ _ This is fireteam leader Ignis, reporting! _ ” The woman’s voice is chipper and unfamiliar.

“ _ Fireteam member Yannick, reporting, sir. _ ” Mithrax vaguely recognizes the name, though he can’t quite place from where.

“ _ Fireteam member Ajax-8, ready and reporting. _ ”

Dead silence fills the chamber. Several heads turn to look to Mithrax, gauging him for a reaction. Feltras cocks his head in interest. The reactor incident had plenty of them aware of the supposed rivalry between Mithrax and Ajax, and the incident with the Ogre only raised more questions and highlighted the assumed tension between them. Mithrax keeps his gaze focused on the console, unmoving, uninterested in whatever the others are speculating about his thoughts.

It’d be unfair of Mithrax to underestimate Ajax’s abilities now, after everything he’s seen from the man. Still, an uneasy feeling settles in Mithrax’s stomach, and he has to fight back the urge to retch.

“ _ This is Operation Caliban. Several fireteams have gone missing in the Arcology...the Hive… _ ”

Mithrax isn’t even listening. Zavala is giving them the rundown and the one named Ignis is saying something back, but Mithrax waits eagerly for Ajax’s voice, to hear the man say anything before they head into the depths and lose radio contact. Ajax doesn’t though, and Zavala wishes them a ‘good luck, don’t die’ as he sends them off.

Disappointment hasn’t even set in yet when Yannick speaks. “ _ Ajax, are you sure about this? _ ”

“ _ About what? _ ”

“ _ Stop that. I know you hate when people fuss over you, but this is serious. For all we know, this might be worse than Crota. _ ” There’s some murmuring between the Eliksni that Mithrax hardly notices.

“ _ I can handle it. Trust me. _ ”

“ _ Ajax-- _ ”

“ _ Come on, we can’t waste time. Those fireteams need us. _ ”

“ _...Alright. _ ”

The fireteam loses signal only a few minutes later. Mithrax is so focused on his own thoughts that he doesn’t hear the chatter amongst the others, the betting and gossip circling around. Feltras approaching makes Mithrax glance over more out of reflex than anything else. Even through the helmet Mithrax can practically  _ feel _ his smug grin. “(Is the little thorn in your side going to take care of this problem too, Mithrax?)”

Despite the tension, Mithrax laughs. “(Be glad he hates the Hive more than he hates us, Feltras. I doubt  _ you’re _ eager to fight him.)”

Feltras hums, as if he disagrees, but offers no verbal response. He heads back to his console and begins speaking to his band, while Mithrax focuses on the central console. One of his Vandals moves to stand at his side. “(Your orders, sir?)”

“(Keep an eye on the entrance to the Arcology.)” Mithrax leans forward and rests his upper hands on the console, closing his eyes. “(If this fireteam fails, prepare the charges. We can seal the Arcology as our last resort.)”

“(Yes, sir.)”

  
  


The fireteam returns only 20 minutes later.

“ _ This is Caliban, reporting in. _ ” Everyone’s attention jerks to the console. Ignis’ voice lacks the cheery quality it once held. “ _ We’re returning now. _ ”

“ _ Mission successful? _ ” 

There’s a long pause over the line, too many breaths being held waiting for the response.

“ _ We stopped the Hive ritual. But...none of those fireteams are coming back. _ ”

The whole chamber breaks out into murmurs again, practically drowning out Zavala’s voice as he congratulates the team on a job well done and ordering them to return. Delsik starts barking orders over all of it, already starting to move into action to reclaim their territory in the Arcology. The young Captain is speaking to Feltras about fixing the communication issues underground, Feltras gesturing for some of his Vandals to go and assist him.

Mithrax, however, finds himself in a daze. Relief has never felt so bittersweet; Ajax is returning, successful and safe, but Mithrax can already feel how heavily the mission must be weighing on him.  _ Those teams weren’t strong enough. It’s not your fault. _ No matter how well Mithrax knows that, Ajax is surely beating himself up for it even now. There’s no comfort to be offered. The dead are dead, regardless of how Ajax might mourn.

“ _ They were trying to summon something. _ ” Yannick’s voice catches Mithrax’s attention. “ _ There was a name. Savathûn. Ajax heard the name from the Taken on Io, but we don’t know what the exact connection is. I’m going to talk to Ikora… _ ” Even at the mention of his name, Ajax says nothing.

When his Vandal approaches, Mithrax unclenches his hands he hadn’t realized he’d balled up into fists. “(Compile all the information the Guardians relay, including everything about this ‘Savathûn.’)” The Vandal salutes and quickly scurries away to order around some Dregs, who in turn move to the consoles and begin working.

Delsik looks to Mithrax from the other side of the central console, fully equipped and ready to go. “(You wanna come? Might be able to catch that Guardian of yours.)”

“(As much as I would like to,)” Mithrax says, perhaps a bit too sincerely, “(This needs to be relayed to Archons immediately. I doubt this will be the last time the Hive try to pull this off.)” She gives him a small nod before returning to rallying her band.

Everyone continues scrambling to their positions around him. Mithrax rests his forearms on the surface on the console, heaving out a heavy sigh as he hangs his head.

  
  


Their next meeting is three days after the strike. Mithrax arrives early, clearing out the area with twice the thorough care he usually gives. Even though their ritual seems to have been entirely stamped out, the Hive are still more restless than usual, and the Eliksni just as restless in turn. It takes a bit more effort to make sure they won’t be interrupted, but it’s worth it for the peace of mind.

He’s leaning leisurely against a long-broken security checkpoint when Ajax arrives. The Hunter moves as silently as ever, but the tension in his shoulders is unmistakable. Where normally he’s graceful and fluid in his motions, Ajax’s entire body seems wound tight like a spring, as if he’s going to snap and strike at any moment.

“Ajax.” Even just saying his name seems to make the Hunter flinch. Mithrax frowns and stands upright. “We can go elsewhere if you’d prefer.”

There’s a pause as Ajax stares hard at him for a moment. “...You all heard what happened, huh?”

“It’d be hard not to. The entire Arcology was swarming with Hive.”

“Right.”

Silence overtakes them again. Ajax looks like he might’ve already forgotten Mithrax’s question, vaguely waiting for Mithrax to say something, mostly lost in his own thoughts. It’s like Ajax is looking straight through him, not even present in the moment.

“When was the last time you slept?” The question startles Ajax, makes him think. “You said Hunters and Exos have trouble sleeping. When was the last time you rested?”

“Uh.” Ajax lowers his gaze, embarrassed. “It’s been awhile. Maybe a...week?”

Guardians are capable of surviving incredible strain on their bodies, but it can’t possibly be good for them. Mithrax makes a soft click of acknowledgement before slowly reaching out for Ajax, taking one of the Guardian’s hands in his own and pulling him to the side of the room. Though Ajax is clearly tense and wary, he allows Mithrax to lead him, stopping when Mithrax does, sitting when Mithrax tells him to.

Mithrax sits next to Ajax, both of them with their backs flush against the wall, and pats his shoulder. Ajax stares blankly at him. “...You can’t be serious.”

“Your paranoia is one of the things keeping you up.” Ajax tries to look skeptical, but the way he can’t quite meet Mithrax’s eyes gives him away. “Sleep. I’ll be here with you. I’ll watch our backs.”

They stare each other down for only a moment before Ajax is forced to concede, his exhaustion getting the better of him. With a small huff, Ajax crosses his arms and lets himself slump over, propped up against Mithrax’s side. It’s a little awkward against the Captain’s armor, but far from the worst place Ajax’s ever slept. “Just for a bit.”

“Of course.” Mithrax’s upper arms go to perform maintenance on some of his equipment, while one of his lower arms wraps around Ajax’s waist, holding Ajax close and secure against him. Ajax tenses for half a second before relaxing even further against the Eliksni, closing his eyes and already beginning to doze.

“Thanks,” Ajax mumbles, so softly Mithrax barely hears it, already fast asleep by the time Mithrax glances over to look down at him. Breathing a soft sigh, Mithrax lets his head fall back against the wall, looking up to the crumbling tiles above.

The further Ajax falls into his sleep, the more he seems to be pressing against Mithrax, until he’s practically trying to bury his face in Mithrax’s armor. After some deliberation, Mithrax gently begins maneuvering Ajax’s limbs, repositioning his own legs so that Ajax is sitting in front of him, the Guardian’s back to the Eliksni’s chest. His lower arms wrap around Ajax and the Guardian is immediately relaxed, curled up against Mithrax’s warmth and no longer shifting and fussing in his sleep.

It leaves Mithrax with a lot less freedom to move and do other things, but it’s a small price to pay. He settles for sifting through the Guardians’ radio transmissions, idly tuning in to a couple of different ones to keep himself preoccupied. None of them are particularly informative from a battle standpoint, though some are vaguely entertaining; one line is Sloane complimenting the shipwright on some trivial mechanical work done on the rig, another is a Guardian asking someone back at the Tower whether or not the Hive are monogamous. (As far as Mithrax understands, they are--but he’s also never cared enough to investigate in detail. Idly, he wonders if Ikora would know.)

His favorite so far is two Guardians arguing about capes, a conversation which leaves him wondering whether or not ‘frabjous’ is an actual word. It sounds more like something Ajax would make up and say to try to impress him, but he isn’t quite sure. Mithrax is half considering asking Ajax’s Ghost when he gets a ping from his private line. “(This had better be good.)”

“ _ (Captain Mithrax, sir.) _ ” One of his Vandals. Her voice is uncharacteristically hushed, though not hesitant or uncertain. “ _ (Apologies, I know you said not to interrupt you during these excursions, but...Captain Feltras is snooping.) _ ”

It takes a moment for the statement to process. Mithrax sits himself a bit more upright, taking care not to jostle the Guardian in his arms. “(Repeat? He’s  _ snooping _ ?)”

“ _ (I think he’s suspicious, sir. He...pardon the informality, sir, but he came up with a rather bullshit excuse to check in on you. He looked like he was only pretending to be surprised when we told him you weren’t here, and I think he’s going to start questioning some of us.) _ ”

Mithrax isn’t terribly surprised. Feltras is a conceited piece of shit, and Mithrax already has a rather extensive record of going against command. He’s not exactly sure what Feltras is trying to accomplish, since it’s doubtful he’s doing this solely out of concern for the House, but if Feltras is looking to start something, Mithrax would rather put a stop to it soon. “(You did well to tell me.)”

“ _ (What would you have us say to him, sir?) _ ” She doesn’t sound nervous in the slightest. What was her name? Jenryl?

“(Tell him to go fuck himself, if you’d like.)” Mithrax can hear her stifle a laugh. “(Inform the band that they can tell Feltras whatever they want. If they have faith in me, they can lie to him, tell him to eat shit, whatever they desire. If they don’t? If they think that I won’t find out what they’ve done, or doubt that I’ll be able to punish them in return--they can tell Feltras the truth. Either I’ve earned the loyalty of my band or I haven’t. That’s up for them to decide.)”

There’s a long pause over the line, and when Jenryl finally speaks, Mithrax can’t quite read the tone of her voice. “ _ (I read you loud and clear, Captain. I’ll inform the band.) _ ”

“(Good.)” Ajax makes a small noise as he adjusts himself, pressing his face against Mithrax’s arm. Without thinking, Mithrax brings a hand to Ajax’s face, thumb running along his cheek. “(One more thing.)”

“ _ (Yes, Captain?) _ ”

“(After Feltras is done speaking to the band, inform him that if I catch him so much as  _ breathing _ too close to one of my Dregs again, I’m going to personally launch him from his ketch directly onto the surface of Sol.)”

The smile is obvious in Jenryl’s voice. “ _ (I’ll be sure to let him know word for word, sir.) _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Utopia is switching to an every-other-week schedule, since giving myself extra time helped this chapter IMMENSELY. Happy New Year, thanks for your patience!


	7. Into The Depths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...and sometimes, those demons persist.
> 
> But still, we move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [shows up nearly 4 months late with starbucks] hey gang I heard you like gay bugs and robots

It’s dark again.

Not the darkness of the night sky with the faint shimmer of stars illuminating the distance, or the darkness of an unlit cockpit while cruising through space with the gentle hum of the engine breathing life into the ship.

Endless, empty, all consuming Darkness.

He tries to move but his limbs won’t cooperate. The air is suffocating, heavy as water, his whole body made of lead and sinking further and further into the abyss. There’s a certain kind of peace to it, as if all his worries are falling away as he’s dragged into the depths, but the persisting feeling of  _ wrongness _ makes his insides twist.

For a moment he’s not sure if it’s simply wishful thinking or not, until it grows closer and he’s certain--a light, far off from him but present nonetheless. He tries again and this time manages to extend an arm, reaching out towards it. Knowing it’s there is bittersweet. There’s no way to touch it, its warmth enough to feel in the tips of his fingers and no further. He hadn’t realized how cold he is until now.

Something wraps around his chest and his entire body jerks, away from the light. This time when he tries to move his entire body thrashes, but it’s not enough to wrench himself away from the thing clinging to him. Faintly, he swears he can hear his name being said by a voice that’s familiar yet foreign, whispered to him as if trying to get his attention. He knows better and ignores it, focusing on trying to get away.

It lets go all at once and he goes flying forward, landing on his hands and knees on...something. Ground? There’s no time to wonder, the thing behind him is still there, pulsing and breathing and  _ watching _ .

How it loves to watch.

He spins himself around, braced on one knee as he draws his gun and points it at the thing. The instinct to fire is stopped as he glances to the gun and realizes it’s not his own. The grip is crudely wrapped in foreign material, the chamber lined with indentations and almost reminiscent of teeth, the barrel dark with sharp points jutting from the top. A green eye on either side.

The realization makes his insides run cold as ice. Fear paralyzes him, and in that moment, he swears he can feel a chest pressed to his back, an arm reaching alongside his own and a hand wrapping over his, helping him hold and aim the gun. The foreign hand wears armor matching the Thorn, sharp and cruel, moving with the confidence of a killer. Something comes from its mouth, but he can’t make it out. Everything is muffled by the sound of his own heart beating frantically in his chest.

When it starts to pull the trigger, he snaps to attention and pulls away. It doesn’t move with him as he stands, surging to face the thing in the Darkness alone. Fear is drowned in anger and his body courses with light, starting from his heart before bursting from the gun. The Thorn is burned away and the Golden Gun blooms forth, solid and familiar in his hand, searing his body with its light in a welcome rush of adrenaline. He aims the gun, light now illuminating the room and the Thing before him.

Mithrax.

Ajax’s breath hitches as everything sets in at once. The Solarium, Mithrax, his Ghost shouting his name and slumping in relief as Ajax finally comes to. Mithrax is frozen where he is, hands up in a show of surrender. The Golden Gun is there, lighting the partially collapsed hallway of the Arcology. Faintly, Ajax remembers agreeing to rest, and if he could go back in time he’d slap himself for it.

With a slow, deep breath, the gun melts away into nothingness, the light fading with it. They’re left in the dim neon of cracked screens and forgotten technology.

“Sorry,” Ajax offers, as if that were enough. It’s all he can think to say. Mithrax is continuing to closely watch him, arms still raised in defense, body still tense. The silence is suffocating. “I...how long did I sleep?”

His Ghost floats up to his side, studying him with a bright eye. “ _ You were out for two hours. _ ” Not enough. He definitely needs more sleep, but somewhere else. Somewhere far away from here.

Ajax sighs and pulls his hood up, and that’s when Mithrax lowers his hands. “You can stay if you’d like.” It’s hard to tell if Mithrax genuinely wants him to stay or if he simply pities Ajax, and Ajax is too frazzled to accurately guess one way or the other.

“It’s probably better if I don’t.” Ajax says it lightly with a little laugh, and it feels as empty as he does. “I just need some time to work through this. I’ll swing by next week, alright?”

Mithrax looks hesitant to let him go, but nods regardless. “Don’t overwork yourself.”

  
  


Nobody sees Ajax for the next five days.

It’s eventually Yannick who stumbles upon him on Io, digging around in a secluded cave tucked into the craggy cliffside. The warlock leans against the side of the entrance, arms crossed, brow raised until he’s forced to concede that Ajax isn’t going to notice him despite the way he’s blocking the sunlight. “So, this is where you’ve run off to? Decided to become a cave-dwelling hermit?”

Ajax glances over his shoulder, huddled over something in a dark corner, only briefly acknowledging Yannick before turning back. “I’m looking into something.”

“Uh huh.” Yannick raises a hand to cast some void light into the cavern as he steps further in. “Disappearing for nearly a week with no notice--”

“I left a note, didn’t I?”

“A sticky note with ‘looking for Hive lead, bee-bee-el’ scribbled in your illegible scrawl and left on Cayde’s desk  _ hardly _ counts as a note.” 

The hunter makes an offended noise. “It’s an acronym, it’s--you sound like an old man!”

“So what have you found?” Ajax huffs as Yannick ignores his remark. “Have the Hive left you a detailed schematic of their plans? Maybe an invitation to where they’re going to hold their next ritual?”

Moving aside, Ajax reveals the Taken rift he’d been squatting in front of, patting the ground next to him. “It’s talking.” Yannick frowns as he kneels alongside the rift. As much as Yannick wants to tell him he’s losing it, Ajax is...right. It’s faint, so terribly faint, but after closing his eyes and focusing, Yannick can hear it, like a whisper in the back of his skull.

Sa. Va. Thun.

“So you were right about the name.”

“It’s not just that.” Ajax holds out his hand, his Ghost appearing above it. “There’s all kinds of noise coming through. Most of it can’t normally be heard, but there’s ways of detecting it. I’ve been taking samples all over Io.”

Yannick rises to his feet, humming in thought as he brushes off his coat. “That’s surprisingly clever and diligent of you, Ajax.” Despite the compliment (backhanded, but more than one usually hopes to get out of the warlock), Yannick looks over Ajax with a scrutinizing gaze, golden eyes sharp and piercing in the darkness. “When was the last time you ate? Or slept?”

Before Ajax can even open his mouth, his Ghost lights up.  _ “It’s been 56 hours and 31 minutes since our last break.” _

“I can’t believe my own Ghost is a fucking narc.”

“Up.” Ajax sighs and stands, watching Yannick pull out his own Ghost. “Let’s head back to the tower. Take a break, catch some dinner, and we can talk about what we’re going to do afterward. People have been worried sick about you.”

“Aww, is that why you’re here? You were worried about little ol’ me?”

Yannick doesn’t even look away from his Ghost. “Cayde bet me his sparrow that I wouldn’t be able to find you.”

“His sparrow? Either he really doubts you or he really cares about me. Or, maybe both?”

“Come on, before he chickens out.”

  
  


Ajax follows his usual route to the meeting spot, but today is armed and moving with purpose. Rather than darting along the sides and avoiding conflict, Ajax puts down all the Hive he comes across, emptying the upper level of the Arcology as much as he can. When he arrives, Mithrax is already there, weapons down and waiting. Rather than disarming, Ajax gestures for Mithrax to follow him. “Let’s do something different today.”

Mithrax cocks his head ever so slightly to the side as he rearms himself. “You seem to be doing better.”

“Had some time to clear my head, yaddah yaddah. Come on, I didn’t come here for a psych evaluation.”

There’s an audible sigh of relief from Mithrax. “Good. I wasn’t prepared to give you one.” (In truth, Mithrax had spent nearly all of his spare time over the past week trying to think of what to say, of anything he could offer Ajax to help him, and had come up completely blank. He’s not sure which is worse--the fact that he’d spent so much effort thinking about the Guardian’s  _ emotions _ , or the fact that despite his fretting, he had still failed to think of a way to comfort Ajax.)

Once he’s done reaffixing his cape, Mithrax walks over to Ajax’s side, watching as the Guardian pulls up a map of the Arcology. “Alright, so I tracked down some weird Taken transmissions on Io that I’m pretty sure are related to whatever Hive nonsense is going on here. If we can find something similar or something linking the two, I bet we can figure out what’s going on.” Ajax closes the map and starts walking, but pauses when he realizes Mithrax isn’t following. 

“Are you out of your mind?” Ajax puts a hand to his chest in mock offense as the captain stares incredulously at him. “‘We’? There’s no ‘ _ we’ _ , the two of us can’t just go strolling across the Arcology together.”

“It’s not like we’re going to be stirring up trouble and picking fights. It’s just a little reconnaissance.”

“If we get caught--”

“Then we just won’t get caught.” Mithrax pauses, and Ajax can feel the captain’s irritation as Ajax gives a small shrug. “Come on, we’ve gone this long without blowing it. And besides, this is all official business. Hive stuff and whatnot. It’s not conspiring with the enemy if we’re just in it for the information, right? Enemy of my enemy?”

There’s a long silence between them as Mithrax weighs the pros and cons. Ajax, at least, is fairly certain that it’s going to be all Hive territory they’re delving into, so the chances of them running into any Eliksni are slim. Even then, the Eliksni know that Ajax has been staying out of their way. He’s popular with the barons or something, right? It’d  _ probably _ be  _ totally _ fine if they were somehow spotted.

After a tense moment of consideration, Mithrax sighs and turns on his radio. “(Jenryl. If Feltras comes around looking for me, tell him I'm busy following a Hive lead. And then tell him he's a bastard and that  _ some of us _ are doing their jobs while he's crawling around like a dreg. ...Yes, you have my permission to tell him word for word.)”

Mithrax gives Ajax a sharp look, the hunter’s hand on his cocked hip effectively communicating an amused grin. Ajax waits until Mithrax is done speaking. “Who's Feltras?”

“Another captain.” Mithrax starts fussing with his equipment as he walks back over to Ajax. “He's a (piece of shit) who can't mind his own business.”

“(Piece of shit?) ... _ Oh! _ ” The realization makes Ajax suddenly laugh, and he slaps a hand over his mouth to stop himself. “I've never heard you badmouth another captain!”

“They don't often give me reasons to badmouth them.” With one last click, Mithrax draws his swords, looking to Ajax. “Ready when you are. Strictly an official,  _ temporary _ truce?”

“Of course, captain.” Ajax stands at attention and gives a sharp salute, earning a shake of the head from Mithrax. “Let's go.”

It's not fun work, even by patrol standards. They scour practically every inch of every room, Ajax's Ghost constantly by his side and scanning for any trace of Taken transmissions. The Arcology isn't the most exciting place, even with the echoes of the Golden Age filling every room. The two are silent, the only sound their quiet steps and the occasional muffled hiss of an acolyte having its throat cut. The task is monotonous, Ajax feeling progressively antsier the further they descend.

Still, having Mithrax by his side is a blessing. The silence is almost maddening, but Mithrax's presence is a constant reassurance that he's not alone. More than once they catch something the other missed, constantly watching each other's backs, picking off every threat before any alarms can be raised. 

A knight nearly catches Ajax as he rounds a corner, but Mithrax strikes first. Chest pressed against Ajax's back, reaching under Ajax's arm, he catches the knight right in the stomach under its carapace. Ajax dips out of the way and Mithrax surges forward to close the distance as the knight stumbles in shock. He puts a dagger in the knight's third eye, pulling back to brace his arm and elbowing the hilt. The dagger gets shoved straight through the knight's skull.

As the knight's body crumples to the ground, Ajax puts a hand to his chest, letting out a slow exhale. “Phew...Thanks, that was--”

“Quiet.” Ajax blinks before narrowing his eyes at Mithrax, half a second away from complaining about being snapped at, pausing only when Mithrax points down the hall.

One of the doors is open, just a crack. Just enough for the sickly green light from the other side to spill out and flood a sliver of hallway. Mithrax and Ajax exchange a glance before moving in sync towards the door.

There’s an awkward scuffle as the two silently try to push each other aside to peek through the door first, until Ajax huffs and crosses his arms, stepping out of the way. Mithrax peeks through, letting out a low rumble of thought. “It leads down another hallway.”

“ _ Ooh _ , more hallways, how exciting. Let me just--” Ajax gives Mithrax a soft shove before peering through the crack himself. “...Yeah, that sure is a hallway.” The guardian steps back, ready to summon his Ghost when he glances at the light on the door. Or, rather, the lack of. “This door isn’t on.”

“It’s probably broken like everything else here.” Ajax makes a disgruntled sound as Mithrax moves to the control panel. The screen on it is cracked from one edge to the other, and after a few moments of fussing, it still won’t turn on. “Guess we do it the old fashioned way.”

There’s not even time for Ajax to question him before Mithrax is gripping the doors with all four hands, and with a heavy screech of metal and some strain on the Eliksni’s part, the door gives way a good two feet. Not enough for Mithrax, but enough for Ajax to slip through. Mithrax lets go the moment Ajax is on the other side, and the door snaps back to its previous semi-closed state. Ajax checks the console on this side and finds it just as offline as the other. “You gonna be okay out there? Should only be a sec.”

Even though Ajax can barely see Mithrax, the familiar clicks of laughter put him at ease. “Somehow I’ll manage without your presence.”

Ajax rolls his eyes before focusing on the task at hand. The hallway appears short until Ajax gets to the first turn, peering around the right corner and watching it continue on and on. Thankfully it’s empty and nothing is showing up on his radar, but the longer he walks, the more it seems to stretch on forever. Rather than brightly colored screens or any sort of marking or infographics, the walls are entirely blank, broken up only by the seams in the panelling, the putrid green glow becoming brighter and brighter.

The voice of his Ghost cutting in on his helmet startles him. “ _ I’m picking up some noise nearby. _ ”

“So this might actually be what we’re looking for?”

“ _ With any luck. Spooky green tunnels don’t usually lead to  _ nothing.”

“That’s not true, remember those tunnels on the Moon? This could be just like--”

A low roar cuts them both off, the ground trembling ever so slightly beneath them. They exchange a shared glance before silently rushing forward. The end of the hallway comes sooner than later, and at the final turn, there’s one doorway at the end, sitting wide open and perfectly ready to be strolled directly into. The urge to embrace the bait is strong, but Ajax restrains himself, instead creeping over to peer around the edge of the doorway. 

On the other side is a large, domed chamber; not nearly the biggest Ajax has seen in the Arcology alone, but certainly on the grander side. The light flooding the hallway is coming from a crystal in the center of the room, small and bright, difficult to look directly at. There’s several patrol squads worth of Hive gathered around it in various states of worship, some on their hands and knees, other simply kneeling with their heads down, all in some form of prayer. Ajax would almost feel bad about interrupting them if it weren’t for the figure floating above the crystal.

_ Deathsinger. _

Ajax doesn’t give himself time to think or time for the fear to set in. He goes for his rifle, lines up with the crystal at the center of the ritual, or prayer circle, or whatever this is. He doesn’t have to know the details to know it’s bad. Eight rounds in rapid succession are enough to pop the crystal, the light abruptly going out and leaving the room drenched in darkness save for the glowing of green eyes turning to face Ajax.

By the time the Deathsinger screams, the horrible grating sound sending all of the Hive into action, Ajax has already turned on his heels and started sprinting back down the hall.

“Hey--uh, Mithrax, can you have that door ready for me?” A shot whizzes by Ajax’s head and he tries not to lose his composure over the radio. “Not to, uh, rush you or anything, but it’d be real helpful!”

Gunfire rings out through the radio before Mithrax responds. “ _ Give me a moment. A patrol came by and I’m-- _ ” another shot fires, this time on Ajax’s end, narrowly missing Ajax’s legs, “ _ \--handling it. _ ”

The ground shakes again, this time much more distinctly, coupled with another bellow from the Deathsinger. “No pressure! I just, uh, I’m really going to die if you don’t have this door open in a moment!” There’s no response from Mithrax, even as Ajax nears the end of the hallway. “M? Buddy? You okay on your end?”

The radio is silent even as Ajax rounds the corner, and the door is still mostly shut, and Ajax’s heart stops in his chest for just a split second, a long moment that seems to last forever just before four hands appear through the opening and force the door back open.

If Ajax weren’t a tad bit distracted, he’d have noticed the pile of Hive bodies behind Mithrax. Instead, Ajax surges onward, focused solely on Mithrax. A growl just behind him makes Ajax shudder and he jumps the last few meters of distance, directly into Mithrax’s arms, sending both of them crashing and tumbling together into the outer corridor.

They roll a meter or two, Mithrax protectively wrapping all of his arms around Ajax. The hunter pulls away just enough to sit up and draw the Golden Gun, to aim it through the small crack in the doorway, and with a sharp breath, to pull the trigger. The explosion of light surges through and pierces the line of knights crowding the hallway and attempting to follow. A chorus of death rings out from beyond the door, followed by the furious scream of the Deathsinger somewhere in the distance. However, for the time being, nothing else attempts to chase them.

After a few moments of holding their breath, Ajax and Mithrax both sigh in relief, Ajax slumping against Mithrax’s chest and Mithrax eagerly taking Ajax back into his arms. “Thanks, M.”

“It’s fine,” Mithrax says, voice soft as he rests his head against Ajax’s. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get to you in time.”

They sit together like that for a short while, until their hearts have settled down and they’ve relaxed against each other. As usual, it’s Ajax who speaks first. “I think we’re even now.”

It takes Mithrax a second to catch on, but he snorts when he does. “Consider the score officially settled.” Ajax tugs against Mithrax’s hold and Mithrax lets him go, watching him as he moves to stand and stretch his limbs. “Get the data you needed?”

“More than that. Found another Hive club meeting and managed to break their toys.” Mithrax stares blankly at Ajax, who laughs in return. “I think it was a ritual or something. I’ll have my Ghost send you a copy of the readings we got today.”

Mithrax lets out a grunt of approval as he stands, offering a hand out to Ajax. “It’s been good working with you, Guardian.”

“Same to you, Captain!” Ajax enthusiastically shakes Mithrax’s hand before pausing. “Eliksni have handshakes?”

“No. I’ve seen Guardians perform them though, to varying degrees of complexity.”

“I still can’t believe you talk like such a fucking  _ nerd _ .”

Mithrax half-heartedly elbows Ajax in the side while checking the readings on his equipment as Ajax starts walking, and they begin the long trek back to the surface together.

  
  


Ikora finds Ajax with Cayde at a small little noodle shop several days later. Cayde ducks his head down when she approaches, knowing he’s supposed to be elsewhere, but Ajax greets her with a chipper ‘hello.’ Ikora smiles and nods her head in a small gesture of respect. “Good to see you back, Ajax. The reports you’ve brought us are quite impressive.”

“Aw, shucks.” Ajax rubs the back of his neck, not sure what else to do with himself. “I think this is the first time you’ve complimented me. Uh, thank you.”

Ikora laughs, and Ajax isn’t sure if she’s amused at his expense or not. “Of course. Though, I did have a question for you.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure Yannick has a better answer, but shoot.”

“When we sent a fireteam to follow up on the ritual chamber you found, they had difficulty getting through the doorway. It looked like it’d been broken for a long time, and they ended up taking a different route around it. How did you get through?”

The moment of hesitation is long enough for Ikora to raise a brow, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly down at the Exo. Ajax swallows, frantically thinking. “Well, I sort of--I cheesed it.”

“You ’cheesed’ it?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t get the door open myself, but I’d seen some dregs fussing with doors before, so I waited until an Eliksni patrol came by and managed to pry it open before taking them out and propping it open. It shut when I was being chased out.”

Cayde turns his head to stare at Ajax, mirroring Ikora’s hard gaze, and Ajax doesn’t realize what he’s said until Ikora parrots it back to him. “An  _ Eliksni _ patrol.”

“...Fallen.” Ajax forces himself to meet Ikora’s eyes, despite how badly he wants to turn away. “Fallen patrol. Sorry, Yannick’s been trying to get me to pay more attention to our enemies, teaching me the technical words and all that…”

Ikora’s face is hard and unreadable, and Ajax can practically feel a bead of synthetic sweat dripping down his temple. After a tense moment of contemplation, Ikora gives a simple, “I see. Thank you,” before departing. 

A feeling of dread starts to curl up in Ajax’s stomach, and when he looks down to his bowl, his appetite is entirely gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY huge shout out for everyone who sent me encouraging words and kind things during that big pause. This chapter was overambitious when I planned it out (clearly, by the way it turned out) and I've been dealing with some Life Things as well. You're all very wonderful and keep me going, so thanks! 
> 
> I hope this was at least a little bit worth the wait!


	8. Better Left Unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unfortunate reality is, sometimes, your best just isn't enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GANG HOW ABOUT THAT FORSAKEN TRAILER AM I RIGHT
> 
> And as always, thank you so, so much for your patience! This one was an absolute doozy to write, and I hope the wait was worth it. It's pretty plot heavy, I hope some of the real gay stuff in it makes up for that.

Activity on Titan is pleasantly quiet for a few weeks. The Hive have been laying low since the incident with the Deathsinger, the Guardians haven’t had much interest in the murky depths of the little moon, and the Eliksni have been free to go about their business almost entirely unhindered. It’s a rare, but welcome change of pace; as much as they’re always geared up to fight, not having to watch your back every moment of the day is a pleasant luxury they’re rarely afforded.

Of course, everything going right is the first step to everything going wrong.

Somewhere in the distance, the door to the main chamber of the ketch slides open. Mithrax pays it no mind, preoccupied with correcting some maps that were drawn up before one of Delsik’s bands collapsed a tunnel last week. (Her reasoning was that it would cut off Hive traffic--Mithrax isn’t certain she didn’t just want some excitement.) It isn’t until Jenryl clears her throat, sitting at her console off to the starboard side, that Mithrax breaks his focus. He glances first to her, then to the door, tensing once he sees who’s decided to slink onto his ketch. “(Feltras.)”

“(Mithrax,)” the other captain practically coos back, receiving an unimpressed grunt from Mithrax in return. “(No need to get hostile. I’m just here to deliver some news.)”

As Feltras begins to round the central console, Mithrax rises from his seat to stand tall before him. “(I would hope that the captain in charge of our communication network would understand how to use a  _ radio _ , Feltras.)”

“(Are you so busy you can’t receive my company?)” Feltras sounds almost mockingly hurt, but the unspoken accusation is still present.

Mithrax doesn’t take the bait. “(No, you’re a miserable cretin and I don’t want your carcass on my ship.)” Behind Feltras, still at her station, Jenryl has to put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from betraying her amusement. Some of the dregs have paused what they were doing to observe the two captains currently staring each other down. “(Give me the news and get off my ketch.)”

“(As abrasive as ever.”) There’s no surprise in his voice as Feltras makes a contemplative clicking sound, walking past Mithrax and continuing his round, eyeing the console idly. One of the older maps of the Arcology is pulled up, Hive and Eliksni patrol routes marked, recently contested areas highlighted. There’s a moment of strained silence, drawn out by Feltras feigning interest in the map before he finally speaks. “(One of the barons is coming.)”

The urge to blurt out a “what?” or an “excuse me?” is there, but is bitten back--mentally, Mithrax jokes that it’s a reaction more befitting of Ajax than himself. Instead Mithrax stands motionless, outwardly appearing unfazed by the announcement despite the way his crew is already starting up their hushed whispers. “(Did you really come onto my ketch and waste my time just to be dramatic?)”

...Also an Ajax reaction, Mithrax concedes after he’s already said it.

Feltras clicks disapprovingly, the equivalent of a small ‘ _ hmph’. _ “(I’m doing you a favor by warning you. You could at least  _ pretend _ to be appreciative.)”

Mithrax is about to tell Feltras exactly where he can shove his thanks when Jenryl speaks up. “(Which baron? And why?)” There’s a pause from Feltras as he looks at Jenryl from across the chamber, silently staring her down. Some captains would find it inappropriate for a vandal to question them in any regard; however, Mithrax is not one of those captains, and Jenryl is his. She doesn’t back down, meeting Feltras’ gaze without fear.

After a brief moment of tension, Feltras rapidly loses interest and turns his attention back to Mithrax, closing the gap between them until they are left standing face to face. “(They didn’t say who. Only that a baron would be here within three days. Gives you time to get your things in order, hmm?)”

“(Same goes to you,)” Mithrax says cooly, restraining himself from fighting Feltras right here and now just for trying to play this stupid game. “(Maybe you can convince them you actually do your job once in awhile.)”

There’s a drawn out rumble of amusement from Feltras. He reaches out to Mithrax and Mithrax nearly goes for one of his swords, but Feltras simply pats Mithrax on the shoulder. “(Hopefully neither of us will be caught slacking.)”

A snappy remark along the lines of ‘you’re one to talk’ is almost out of Mithrax’s mouth when he pauses, looking to his shoulder and back to Feltras. “(Using one of the Guardians’ gestures? I didn’t think you were familiar with their mannerisms.)”

“(I’m not.)” Feltras takes a step back, moving to depart. “(But I heard a rumor  _ you _ were. Just wanted to see for myself.)” The smugness rolling off of his voice is so thick it’s nearly palpable, and if he weren’t already halfway out the door, Mithrax would absolutely throttle him.

The long list of preparations that need to be completed is already starting to pile up in Mithrax’s mind. Most of his crew is already springing into action before Mithrax even starts barking orders, and soon the relaxed spell that had been lingering over the fleet is broken. Mithrax’s ketch alone is a buzzing nest of activity within the hour, thorough inspections being done for the ship and all equipment, careful organization of reports and collected data.

Only one vandal is stopped in her work, giving a respectful salute as Mithrax approaches her. “(Captain, sir. I’m looking through the Hive transmissions--)”

“(Give the task to someone else.)” Jenryl pauses, hesitant, but gives an affirmative regardless. Mithrax gestures for her to follow as he turns to lead her to a more private area. “(I have something important I need to you do.)”

  
  


“A baron, huh?” Ajax hums in thought as he hefts himself up onto a knocked over support beam, taking a seat there to nurse the wound in his side that Mithrax gave him only a few minutes ago. “Sounds fancy. Maybe you’re getting an award or something?”

That pulls a purr of a laugh from the captain. “We don’t give awards. The closest thing would be a promotion, and they wouldn’t need to send a baron in person for that.”

“Hmm. Maybe  _ I’m _ getting an award?”

“The Eliksni would sooner offer themselves to the Cabal than give any of you an award.”

“Hey! That’s...well, fair.” Mithrax sits next to Ajax on the slab of broken concrete, stretching each of his arms while Ajax thinks, the light of his mouth a dim glow as he continues to hum contemplatively. “What would they send a baron for, then?”

“If there’s been a lot of failed missions, or some kind of great danger, a baron might come to sort things out. Things have been fairly relaxed here though, even everything with the Hive considered.”

Ajax only thinks on it a moment longer before shrugging. “Man, beats me. You’d know better than I would. I’m sure it’ll be fine though, I bet your ketch is in great shape considering you have a huge stick up your ass.”

The look Mithrax gives Ajax has the Guardian laughing before Mithrax even speaks. “Just because  _ you _ have the discipline of a  _ child _ doesn’t mean I’m the muddy stick here.”

“The muddy--? Wait, no, I think I see where you were going with that.” Ajax doesn’t even bother to correct him. “Still. The baron comes, pokes around a bit, puffs up and is high and mighty to give you guys a stern lecture about strength or something, and goes. It’ll be over before you know it.”

Mithrax doubts it'll be that simple, life never is, but he ends up breathing a relaxed sigh at the idea. “I appreciate your optimism for the situation.”

“Of course. Always here to hype up my favorite captain.”

“You have other captains?”

“Ugh, you know what I mean.”

“Careful Guardian, you might make me jealous.” Ajax elbows Mithrax without any real force--not that it really would have done much to Mithrax even if he had. 

They sit together in comfortable silence for awhile as Ajax’s ghost materializes, patching up Ajax’s injury. Mithrax’s mind continually wanders back to the barons, to his ketch and things he’s going to need to do when he heads back. The stress has been slowly eating away at him ever since Feltras dropped the news. When Mithrax looks to Ajax though, sees the warm glow of the Exo illuminating the shadows around them, watches Ajax’s deft fingers idly twirling one of his knives with effortless precision...Mithrax’s worries melt away for just a moment, and he’s completely enraptured with Ajax’s presence.

It isn’t until Ajax speaks that Mithrax is pulled from his thoughts. “Did you hear about the Eliksni on Nessus? The ones captured by the Vex?”

Ajax’s face is nearly as unreadable as it is when he’s actually wearing his helmet, and though Ajax usually gives everything away in the tone of his voice, he’s clearly treading carefully on the subject, and Mithrax isn’t quite sure what Ajax is trying to get at.

“I’m not going to say what I know,” Mithrax responds, choosing his words slowly and deliberately. “But what did  _ you _ hear, Guardian?”

The piercing blue light of Ajax’s eyes scan Mithrax thoroughly before Ajax shrugs. “That they were taken prisoner by the Vex, who tried to perform experiments on them. Social experiments, I mean. Not the like, limb replacing super spooky ones. Or, uh, they didn’t get around to it, at least.”

Ajax starts playing with his knife again, spinning it on his palm before flipping it to balance on his knuckles. Mithrax keeps his gaze fixed on Ajax’s face. “And what did the Vex learn from their ‘experiments’?”

“From what I understand, they didn’t get very far into it. The only one I heard about is that the Vex offered freedom to any Eliksni who was willing to kill the rest.” He flips the knife back to hold it properly, looking back to Mithrax. “They didn’t fire a single bullet.”

“Sounds about right.” It’s a far cry from the days of Skolas and the House of Wolves, from the infighting that plagued the Eliksni and kept them divided in the wake of the Whirlwind. While Mithrax wouldn’t exactly rush to take a bullet for someone like Feltras, he would also rather die alongside Feltras than have to kill him.

“Sure,” Ajax continues, balancing the knife between his two index fingers. “I’m not completely surprised. What was interesting to me, though, is that a Guardian went to free them. And when the Guardian did, the Eliksni tried to kill the Guardian rather than simply escape.” 

Mithrax already knows how this story ends, but he plays along. “What did your Guardian do?”

There’s a pause, the light of Ajax’s eyes staring at Mithrax for a moment longer before finally flicking away, gaze cast downward. “They fought back. Killed all of the Eliksni there.”

A rescue mission turned slaughter. There’s something ironic about the entire thing, but Mithrax keeps that thought to himself. “What’s your point here? Why are you talking to me about this?”

“I just…” Ajax searches for the words, sighs when they don't come. “...I don't understand. We were trying to help them.”

Even though he knows Ajax is nothing but naively good intentions, Mithrax can't help but snort. “Helping  _ now _ doesn't undo what the Guardians did to us. How can you expect any of us to trust them?”

“You trust  _ me _ , don’t you?” The question takes Mithrax by surprise, and the hesitation makes Ajax panic. “Sorry--I didn’t mean to ask you something so... You don’t have to say anything. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Mithrax stares down at Ajax, taking a long, hard look at him, before wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Don’t apologize. I trust you, and I know you trust me too.”

“Oh.” Ajax tenses for a moment, uncertain, before relaxing and leaning against the captain. “Thanks, M. It really means a lot.”

“Of course. Mutual trust is expected between partners.”

“...Partners?” When Ajax looks up to Mithrax, there’s something in his tone of voice that Mithrax can’t quite place that gives him pause. “You, uh...you see us as partners?”

“Yes?” The confusion is clearly evident in Mithrax’s voice. “We work together, does that not make us partners? Am I using the wrong word?”

“Oh! That kind of partner! Yeah, no, that’s--yeah, we’re partners. That’s right. That’s, uh, totally fine. Business partners, yup. Just, two buds working together.”

Something about the wording clearly made Ajax flustered, but Mithrax decides not to delve into that, lest Ajax end up any more embarrassed than he already appears. He lets the silence linger until the tension has mostly eased out between the two of them before he speaks again. “The Guardian on Nessus was you, wasn’t it?”

Ajax sighs, slumping further against Mithrax’s side. “I’m that bad of a liar, huh?”

“Absolutely terrible.”

“Yeah, well...you never know. It could’ve been someone else. There’s got to be people besides me who care.”

Mithrax rubs a soothing circle onto Ajax’s back between his shoulder blades, holding him just a bit closer. “Sometimes one is all it takes.”

  
  


Baroness Skaryn arrives on a small and unassuming ketch, run by one of her top captains in order to avoid the attention of either the Guardians or the Hive. When she calls the meeting, it's a small assembly, made up only of the main captains stationed on Titan and a select few of their vandals.

She has the familiar imposing stature of the other barons, though Skaryn’s gaze is less cold and calculated when she looks over the captains. “(This is not an inspection),” is her opening statement as she idly begins pacing before them. “(This is simply a...check-up.)”

Delsik and Mithrax share a wary glance. A superior officer trying to  _ relax _ their underlings isn't exactly traditional; the shift in power ever since the House of Dusk rose up signalled a change in the way the Eliksni run their operations, but the pseudo-friendly talk is so foreign, it immediately has the captains on edge more than the usual barking of orders would.

Skaryn has Delsik start by giving an overview of the past few months of operations. Delsik’s vandal pulls up the reports Delsik thankfully thought to prepare on the central console. The written aspect had never been Delsik’s forte, but Mithrax mentally applauds her vigilance as she does her best for the Baroness.

It’s a very general briefing of their status on Titan, covering their goals since arriving and their progress since interference from the Hive and the Guardians. Extra attention is given to the interference of the Hive in recent operations, to which Delsik refers to Mithrax. “(Captain Mithrax is the one who lead the defense against the ogre. Following that, the Hive managed to overtake a large section of the Solarium, which the Guardians took back at the cost of heavy casualties. Further investigation on Mithrax’s part lead him to tracking down the Deathsinger and another ritual, which he managed to interrupt, though we have been unable to take down the Deathsinger or determine what its goal is.)”

Mithrax gives only a small nod of acknowledgement, but Skaryn seems to linger on the information, humming thoughtfully to herself. “(Rather commendable, Mithrax. Your strong initiative is noted.)”

“(Thank you, ma’am.)”

“(I have a few questions about your dealings with the Hive I’d like you to answer before we move on.)”

His heart skips a beat, but he doesn’t pause. “(Of course.)”

Skaryn gestures to one of her vandals who steps forward to the console, pulling up specific reports in full detail. “(According to this, when you held the front against the ogre, a Guardian intervened and was responsible for slaying the ogre. Is this correct?)”

“(It is.)” In the back of his mind, Mithrax isn’t sure whether he wants to tell Ajax that the baroness asked about him or not, in case Mithrax ends up feeding Ajax’s ego any more than he already has.

She hums thoughtfully again as the vandal switches to a different report. “(And the Guardian team that reclaimed the Solarium from the Hive was comprised of three Guardians, one of which being the same Guardian in question, yes?)”

“(Yes, ma’am. Ajax-8. The other two were referred to as Yannick and Ignis.)” Mithrax isn’t entirely sure where this conversation is going, but the amusement over Ajax’s involvement is quickly fading, replaced with a sinking feeling in Mithrax’s gut.

“(Fascinating,)” Skaryn says in a tone that toes the line of sarcastic. “(You’re familiar with this Guardian, Captain?)”

All at once, Mithrax fears he knows  _ exactly _ where this conversation is going. Still, he steels himself for the worst and shows no hesitation as he speaks. “(I am. The Guardian operates on Titan regularly. There’s an extensive record tracking his movements on Titan, starting back when the Guardians were still engaged with the Red Legion. His first direct conflict with us was when he took the reactor core we intended to steal from the Hive.)”

“(An operation that  _ you _ were also in charge of, correct?)”

“(Correct. He captured the reactor core while I was preoccupied dealing with a knight.)” The fact that Ajax had saved him had been conveniently left out of Mithrax’s report, along with the fact Mithrax had handed over the core willingly.

Skaryn looks at the console a moment longer before turning to face Mithrax properly. “(Captain, your report on your most recent encounter with the Deathsinger is intriguing. Tell me--how did you locate the Deathsinger?)”

“(Using a sample of similar Hive chatter, we were able to look for any noise that matched and track it down.)”

“(Did you procure this sample?)”

“(No, ma’am. Ajax-8 did.)”

Several other heads in the room turn to look at Mithrax, one of which being Delsik who likely has an incredulous expression on her face, but Mithrax doesn’t move to look. He keeps his gaze locked with Skaryn, who looks less surprised than she should be. “(Last I heard, we’d been unable to crack the Guardians’ latest encryption. How did you obtain the data?)”

“(He gave it to me.)” Mithrax keeps his head held high, even as hushed whispers begin to rise in the room. “(Ajax-8 requested assistance in his pursuit of the Deathsinger. Given that he’s proven himself as a formidable force, and the fact he hasn’t fired a single bullet at any of the Eliksni in the past 10 months since the incident at the reactor, I acquiesced.)”

Jenryl, standing at attention at Mithrax’s side, spares him only a small side glance, keeping herself facing forward and looking as confident as Mithrax is projecting. He’d long since begun preparing for this moment, knowing it’d arrive eventually, and the panic and uncertainty of the situation is muted beneath the careful planning and consideration he’d cemented for this occasion.

The room is thick with tension and curious chatter, so loud that the baroness has to raise a hand to quiet the band down. “(The Guardian who took down an ogre in one shot needed Eliksni help for an intelligence gathering mission?)”

“(He lacked the arms required to open some of the doors.)” That earns a chuckle from a few of the captains, although Skaryn continues to look unimpressed. “(I have a record of everything said between us during the operation.)”

He gives a nod to Jenryl and she steps forward to the central console, beginning to pull up some data. Skaryn keeps her eyes trained on Mithrax meanwhile. “(And you didn’t think to include this information in your report, Captain?)”

“(The Guardian requested that it be kept private. The consequences if the rest of the Guardians found out he turned to the Eliksni for assistance would be severe. I knew that the emotional scandal that would arise from Guardian involvement would make the situation far more muddled than it needed to be, so I cut what I deemed to be unnecessary information from my report.)”

Before Skaryn can respond, the audio kicks in from the console, along with a translated transcription of the recording courtesy of Jenryl. She gives Mithrax another glance, this time with a small, reassuring nod. Mithrax makes a mental note to make sure she gets a promotion.

_ “Ready when you are. Strictly an official,  _ temporary _ truce? _ ”

“ _ Of course, captain. Let’s go. _ ”

The recording continues on for a bit, distant whispers starting up again as everyone eyes the console with interest. Skaryn’s expression is almost unreadable, transfixed on the console until Mithrax speaks up. “(Is that answer satisfactory?)”

The baroness stares at Mithrax for a moment before signalling for her vandal to cut the audio, waiting for the sound to stop before speaking. “(This is the only time you’ve spoken with this Guardian?)”

“(...Yes,)” Mithrax says after a moment of pause, caught off guard by the question. “(What is this? Was this not a meeting about the general state of affairs?)”

“(Of course, but this has  _ everything _ to do with the state of affairs.)” Skaryn gestures for one of the other captains to step forward, and Mithrax has to resist the urge to go for his blades when Feltras steps forward.

Feltras has nothing but amusement in his eyes as he moves to the console, switching to a different set of audio. There’s no transcription to go with it, nor any meta data to indicate what it is. It isn’t until the audio begins playing that the realization sets in.

“ _ You okay, M? You seem distracted. Usually you kick my ass way faster than that. Something on your mind? _ ”

“ _ Mmm. Found out we’re getting a visit from a baron. Not sure why. _ ”

“ _ A baron, huh? Sounds fancy. Maybe you’re getting an award or something? _ ”

A familiar laugh. “ _ We don’t give awards. The closest thing would be a promotion, and they wouldn’t need to send a baron in person for that. _ ”

“ _ Hmm. Maybe  _ I’m _ getting an award? _ ”

Mithrax struggles to understand  _ how _ Feltras did it for only a few moments before it clicks into place. One hand goes to his shoulder, where Feltras had given him ‘reassurance’ only a few days prior. It’s so small, nobody would have noticed it unless looking for it--but the small recording chip is there, planted firmly onto his armor and hidden in plain sight.

His stomach sinks as the weight of the situation sinks in. Feltras had been one step ahead of him.

The worry is clearly evident on Jenryl’s face as she looks to Mithrax for some kind of sign, any hint of what their next move is going to be, but Mithrax is frozen in place, unsure of what’s going to happen next left at the mercy of Feltras and Skaryn. There’s nothing he could possibly say to deny their relationship given how open their conversation was.

_ Partners. _

There’s a sickly sweet note of amusement in Skaryn’s voice when she speaks that sends a chill down Mithrax’s spine. “(Well, Captain. It would seem we have a lot to discuss.)”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to say right now that I'm not a fan of unhappy endings, and I still have a few more chapters planned of this, so try not to worry too much. Definitely worry A LITTLE, but don't go crazy with it. As always, comments let me know how people feel and remind me that people are interested in this and honestly just really make my day, so thank you so, so much to everyone who's shown me so much love and support!
> 
> The adventure on Nessus mentioned is Release.


	9. Digging Yourself a Hole or Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ajax makes a few important choices that most certainly will never come back to bite him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang, thanks so much for your patience! I know I've been going on about how crazy my life has been, but here's a summary: I started a new job, I started driving, I moved into a new apartment, I started going back to college, and right now I'm sick with an incredibly atrocious cold while preparing to take my driver's exam. Hoo! It's been nuts! Thankfully most of the big stuff is taken care of, and hopefully things will start to calm down and I'll have more time to write!
> 
> I really wanted to get this up before Forsaken comes out, just in case the whole fic ends up somehow being invalidated by new Fallen information. I've heard that Mithrax is mentioned in some item lore...but, we'll see what happens. Worse case scenario, this just ends up being an AU of sorts, and I'll finish it up before looking at new Fallen content.
> 
> Thank you so, so much for your many kind words and for being so understanding and patient with me. I hope you enjoy!

Ajax is setting a bucket of confetti on top of platform by where Cayde usually loiters, precariously placed on the edge in a manner that  _ could _ possibly fall and land on Cayde if someone were to deliberately knock it over--not that anyone would, of course--when Yannick calling his name catches his attention. He only spares a glance over to the approaching warlock before focusing back on the task at hand. “This better be good, Yannick. Cayde made a bet that nobody could surprise him, and I’m about to win me a whole lot of glimmer.”

“As much as I love to watch Cayde eat his own words,” Yannick says in his usual drawn out and sarcastic tone, with just the slightest hint of a grin on his lips, “I actually need a favor. Are you busy? With anything besides shenanigans, that is.”

The word ‘shenanigans’ had just been on the tip of Ajax’s equivalent of a tongue, so he snaps his mouth shut for a moment to think. “I don’t have anything pressing at the moment, just a strike that Ignis and Errol have both been putting off doing. So...I’m not busy until Zavala finally tells us to move our asses.”

“Good to hear the Vanguard's finest are--"

“You know, you're supposed to be  _ nice _ to someone when you're about to ask them a favor.”

Yannick rolls his eyes as he summons his ghost. “I was supposed to help Devrim and Ikora with something in the EDZ, but something came up on Io and I have to go help the old man.”

“Someone should really tell Asher he’s allowed to retire.” Normally this wouldn't even be a question whether or not Ajax would accept, but something strikes Ajax as not quite right. “Why me? Shouldn't it just go to the next person on the list?”

“Ikora asked for you specifically. Said that we could use a Fallen expert.”

Ajax can almost swear he can feel his blood run cold. “Expert?”

“Yeah, that’s what  _ I _ said,” Yannick replies with a derisive snort. “No offense, of course--but Ikora is already more of an expert on Fallen hierarchy and technology than you are. I don’t know what she thinks you’re going to know that she doesn’t.”

There’s a list of things that immediately come to mind, but Ajax manages to keep his mouth shut. “Ha, well, if she wants the goofball on the  _ ‘Fallen Intelligence’ _ mission, that’s her bad call and I get the glimmer all the same. I’ll let them know.”

“Thanks, A.” Yannick gives Ajax a small slug on the shoulder and scurries away, leaving Ajax to ruminate in the ominous feeling gnawing at the pit of his stomach.

He forgets about the confetti entirely by the time he departs for the EDZ.

  
  


The mission isn’t so bad, at first. Ikora is actually right--Ajax knows so much more about the Fallen now than he did before. Even though he and Mithrax had sworn not to talk about warfare with each other, Ajax finds himself understanding Fallen motivations and their way of thinking far better than he’d expected of himself. Knowing where supply caches are going to be, which patrol routes they’re going to set up, what kinds of soldiers are going to be where...it feels almost natural for Ajax to know these things. Mithrax laughed at him when he didn’t, after all.

Ajax makes use of that knowledge to avoid most of the patrols entirely. The Fallen are supposedly hiding some sort of large cache of  _ something _ deep in one of their more obscure bases, and the objective is to find out what it is--which means, as far as Ajax is concerned, nobody has to die over it.

“ _ Are you holding back on us, Ajax? _ ” Devrim sounds equal parts amused and concerned over the radio. “ _ Normally you’re much less…reserved, during these sorts of missions. _ ”

Ajax waits until the nearby patrol passes by before responding. “What, a guy isn’t allowed to mix it up once in awhile?”

“ _ Usually for you, ‘mixing it up’ means killing everything with a knife rather than with a gun, or trying to snipe dregs while riding on the front of Errol’s sparrow. _ ”

“I like to think I’m a man of many talents, Mister Kay.”

Devrim gives a good chuckle at that, the sound warm over the crackle of the radio. “Besides, this is an intelligence mission, right? Figure out what kind of goodies they’re hoarding and where it’s going, then get out. No reason to raise hell if I don’t have to.”

Now it’s Ikora’s turn to laugh, though the sound brings Ajax little comfort. “I never thought I’d see the day  _ you _ started to show a little restraint.”

“As they say, ‘O ye of little faith’...”

Shadows drape themselves around Ajax like a cloak, enveloping him in darkness as he moves further and further into Fallen territory. Crumbling buildings give way to rocky tunnels which eventually become an underground complex held together by packed dirt and steel beams. Coms with the Tower become spotty at best, Devrim and Ikora checking in only every so often when they can just to make sure Ajax is still kicking. But it’s not silent; Fallen chatter in the distance is constant, whether it’s over their own frequencies or it’s their voices echoing throughout the endless tunnels. The area is clearly seeing use, enough for Ajax to stay wary, but not nearly enough to be considered a real military threat.

One small patrol of dregs close by has been talking about distribution of some sort--from what Ajax can gather, it’s gossip about who is or isn’t going to get a little extra ether from the servitor this time around--and Ajax manages to track them down through the series of winding halls. The path he’s stalking down stops being a hallway and gives way to a catwalk, suspended and looming high above a large hangar that’s only barely illuminated by the few dim light bulbs hanging from the ceiling that are still operational, clinging to their final breaths.

Drilling equipment from the Golden Age takes up the edges of the hangar, recently shoved aside judging by the dirt and dust marks along the ground. They all appear to be in various states of disrepair, and have been ignored in favor of the Fallen machines now taking up most of the floor. Bags of worn down shanks, consoles not attached to anything in particular, an engine of impressive size but with a rather large hole in it; only one thing appears to be actually on and working here besides the lights, and it’s one small, illuminated console, hooked up to several towering stacks of unmarked metal containers of some sort.

Huddled around the console is the pod of dregs, idly sifting through the data. Ajax feels his processors whirr as he thinks, considering for a moment before clicking on his radio. “Vanguard, do you read?”

“ _ It’s a little fuzzy, but yes, we read. _ ” The relief is subtle in Devrim’s voice, but present nonetheless. “ _ Find something? _ ”

“I found the cache. It’s not too heavily guarded, but I don’t know how many Fallen are in the rest of this base. I’m not sure if I wanna shake the hornet’s nest over here.”

“ _ Odd. You struck me as the sort to practice shooting nests for fun. _ ”

“Only when the hornets aren’t going to shoot back.”

“ _ Ah, well. _ ” Faintly, Ajax can make out the sound of clinking ceramic as Devrim sets his tea cup back onto its saucer. “ _ I’ve got some scouts near your area. Hold tight, I’ll have them stir up a little trouble. See if we can lure out some of your pests. _ ”

Ajax holsters his gun and leans against the railing, relaxing as he watches the dregs fuss with each other. Two of them are jeering at the one operating the console, who is apparently having trouble finding the names they’re searching for (none of which Ajax recognizes off the top of his head). It’s entertaining, even almost endearing, to watch them act without the pressure of a superior officer or the stress of potential battle.

But it also begs the question--why? What kind of supply this big would the Fallen not post a larger guard for?

Blue light flickers for a moment as Ajax’s ghost materializes. “ _ You know this is probably a trap, right? _ ”

“I was just thinking that too, but…” He pauses as one of the dregs bops the other on the head with the handle of their spear, laughter rising from the rest of the group. “They would have expected us to come in guns blazing, right? Maybe we’ll still catch them by surprise.”

The ghost’s eye flicks away for a moment, contemplating. Before he can say anything, Ikora’s voice cuts in. “ _ Ajax. _ ”

Both machines glance to each other warily. “Yes, ma’am?”

“ _ Find out what’s in that supply if you can, but it must be destroyed regardless of what it contains. _ ”

“I thought this was a recon mission!” His response is too quick, too impassioned and he knows it. “What if we can use this to figure out their future plans, prepare ahead for what we know they’re going to do next?”

“ _ You’re far too deep into their territory for us to risk losing this opportunity. We only happened upon this information by chance, the Fallen have kept nearly silent about it. Even if it’s merely a shipment of ether, you mustn’t leave the facility without making sure it’s taken care of. _ ”

Ikora’s never sounded this stern, not even when they were dealing with Osiris. There’s a dull sense of amusement as Ajax wonders who’s really laying a trap for him here, but he doesn’t have long to think about it. The Fallen radio come to life with a frantic distress signal, followed by dozens of orders being sent out across the field. Sure enough, whichever band the dregs belong to gets its own set of instructions, and they rally themselves together and head out, leaving the hangar unattended.

Ajax descends silently from the catwalk, leaping from the railing to the lit console, softening his landing with a small boost. His ghost emerges and makes quick work of the encryption, far faster than any of the standard consoles found on the field. Maybe this is just as broken as everything else?

There’s a few seconds as the ghost scans through the manifesto, and when he finally speaks, his voice is small. “ _ Oh, you’re not going to like this. _ ”

“I wasn’t expecting to,” Ajax dryly replies. There’s a beat of silence as the ghost stops scanning, turning to peer up to Ajax. “Well?”

“ _...It’s ether reserved for civilians. _ ”

The lights of Ajax’s eyes flicker once, then twice, as if blinking dumbfoundedly at his ghost. “I’m sorry, run that by me again?”

“ _ It’s civilians. All civilians. _ ” Turning back to the console, the ghost moves aside so that Ajax can peer at the screen himself, scrolling through the list. “ _ No wonder those dregs couldn’t find any of the names they were looking for. They were looking for vandals and captains, but none of the Fallen on this list have ranks, save for a few that appear to be...retired veterans. Some of them have noted relatives of rank, but that’s it. ...It even looks like some of them were only added to the list as recently as a month ago. _ ”

Ajax scans the list with his own eyes, scrolling through and desperately trying to find any sign that his ghost might be wrong. When he finds none, Ajax takes a step back from the console, jaw tight as he weighs his options. His ghost watches closely, eye trained hard on Ajax’s face, and jumping in alert when Ajax turns away from the console. “Let’s get out of here.”

“ _ Are you sure about this? _ ” Ajax is quiet as his ghost zips along to hover at his shoulder. “ _ Meeting with Mithrax in secret is one thing, but disobeying a direct order from Ikora--sabotaging a mission for the Vanguard! This is serious! We could be exiled! _ ”

“Then let them exile me!” The ghost shys back at the outburst, Ajax’s eyes burning bright in the darkness of the hangar. “I’d rather walk the path of Osiris and do what I know is right than blindly follow orders! I’m not doing this! I’m not going to condemn innocent lives to suffering and starvation just because they tell me to, Eliksni lives or not!”

There’s a moment of silence between the two of them, a second that seems to last for an eternity, before the ghost nods. “ _ Alright. I’m with you, no matter what happens. _ ”

Before Ajax even has time to give his thanks, Devrim’s voice crackles in over the radio. “ _ Not to rush you, guardian, but the Fallen are starting to get feisty up here. How’s it going? _ ”

“Making my way out now,” Ajax says, walking away from the cache and towards the exit of the hangar. “Situation’s been handled.”

  
  


Electricity thrums through Ajax’s body as he taps his fingers restless on the dashboard of his ship. It’s a routine visit to Mithrax, and everything has been quiet since his mission on the EDZ a few days ago, but something feels...off. Nothing concrete he can seem to put a name to, but like a blip of darkness on the horizon he can feel coming on the edge of his mind.

As if on cue, his ghost materializes. “ _ We’re getting an incoming message on a private channel. A Fallen frequency. _ ”

“Wh--a direct Eliksni line?”

“ _ Yes. It’s...well, you better listen. _ ”

He tunes into the line and for a moment, there’s nothing but silence, and then--a high pitched tone. Not a long, droning thing, but coming in several short bursts, in a seemingly erratic pattern until Ajax places the familiarity of it and his stomach sinks. It was something of a code he’d found in an old archive, from long before the Golden Age, that his ghost had suggested to him and Mithrax as a means of emergency communications, a series of sounds at different lengths that could be used to spell out letters and words. The code itself was long and tedious, so they’d never intended to use it to send whole messages. Only just enough to be able to securely confirm each other’s identity.

The message coming in is simple. M-I-T-H-R-A-X.

He gives a nod to his ghost, who sends the return message. A-J-A-X-8.

After another quiet moment, an unfamiliar voice speaks. “ _ Ajax-8, this is a vandal speaking on behalf of Captain Mithrax. _ ”

“Oh?” Confusion and worry both tangle and knot together in his stomach, but curiosity overrides that for a moment. “Are you Jenryl? He told me you were his favorite vandal.”

“ _ He…? Ah, I am, and--I suppose I’ll have to thank him for that when I get the chance. _ ”

“No no, don’t tell him I said that, he’d be mad and embarrassed.”

That gets a small bit of laughter from her, but it sounds almost bittersweet. “ _ He certainly would be. Guardian, he asked me to give you a warning: don’t come to the meeting point. _ ”

“...Is he just busy, or--”

“ _ Your secret’s been compromised. The Captain’s currently in holding, and they’ve set a trap waiting for you in the Solarium. _ ”

Ajax slumps back in his chair, letting out a long exhale as his mind races. “Is it an attack? I show up and they try to kill me?”

“ _ I’m not certain. It’s been difficult to get any information out of any of the other captains. Mithrax swore on his life that you are an ally to us, so they might try talking to you, but...I can’t promise anything. _ ”

The next time he sees Mithrax, Ajax is going to give him a good throttling for swearing on his life for a stupid guardian like Ajax. For now, Ajax simply shrugs. “Alright. Thank you for the heads up.”

“ _ You’re going to leave? _ ”

“Of course not. I have to go down there and talk to your friends so that they let Mithrax go, right?”

“ _...Captain Mithrax would advise against that, but I know well enough I can’t stop you. _ ” Ajax is almost certain he can hear the smile and relief in her voice.

“Then it sounds like I’ll see you all in a few.”

  
  


When Ajax approaches the meeting point, he has all of his weapons holstered, his hands held in the air to show he’s entirely unarmed. He walks in slowly, almost leisurely in how relaxed his stance is, as if simply strolling in to what he knows could potentially be an ambush.

“(Halt.)” Ajax stops immediately, keeping his hands high. A captain emerges from the darkness, but not Ajax’s captain--one of slightly smaller build, though still towering over Ajax and with impressive stature. Behind them, four vandals follow, two on each side. The captain walks towards Ajax until they’re standing only two feet away, staring down at Ajax in a clear attempt to intimidate. 

Ajax doesn’t flinch. “You can see from here I’m unarmed. Can I put my arms down?”

The captain briefly looks him up and down, as if confirming, but ignores the statement. “(You will be coming with us for questioning. I am Feltras, and I am going to--)”

“(Wait, Captain Feltras? I’ve heard of you!)” 

_ That _ makes Feltras pause, looking genuinely surprised. “(Have you, now?)”

“(Yeah. I’ve heard you’re a piece of shit.)”

A beat passes before Feltras starts laughing, the sound loud and full, the chittering sound echoing against the walls as the vandals look to each other. Ajax keeps his gaze even, expression controlled as Feltras finally looks back down to Ajax.

“(Oh, this is going to be  _ fun _ .)”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have a spin-off fic in mind starring Ajax and Feltras, but I suspect I'll need to write something about Ajax and Cayde first. Yikes.
> 
> Kudos and comments always brighten up my day! Thanks for reading! (:


	10. This Actually Isn't Fun At All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ajax puts his cards on the table for the Eliksni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [insert usual apology for how long this took and thanks for the kind words and encouragement]
> 
> First of all I would like to say that I accidentally teased Mithrax possibly being from House of Wolves and was somehow right and I'm still shocked about it. Secondly, I'm definitely not going to go back and rewrite the chapter about his backstory that was written prior to his actual lore release since that would just bog me down even more trying to finish this story, so we'll just call this...canon adjacent, I suppose? Thirdly, I'm onto you @ Bungie. That bit with Mithrax on a fireteam with a hunter and a warlock? I'M ONTO YOU. Just say Ajax and Yannick, it's okay, you have my permission,
> 
> Listen I understand the Eliksni are supposed to speak broken English but none of us have any time for that

One of the vandals begins to confiscate all of Ajax’s weapons (that they can find), another puts a bag over Ajax’s head to obscure his vision, the other two pull Ajax’s arms behind his back and lock them there in a device that covers his entire forearms. There’s a lot of hands on him all at once, and all Ajax can do is let out a laugh. “You know I’m cooperating, right? Is this really necessary? Like--a _bag_? What, are you taking me to your secret treasure? Are you planning to throw me into the ocean and you want it to be a surprise?”

“I might if you keep talking,” Feltras says, voice closer than Ajax expected. He doesn’t speak English with as much ease as Mithrax, more reminiscent of Variks with his pauses and the way he sounds out his words, but Ajax is surprised nonetheless. It doesn’t sound unfamiliar on his tongue, though not exactly conversational.

Ajax levels his hypothetical gaze as best he can with where he thinks Feltras is. “If you don’t want me to talk, you should probably gag me now. I’ve been known to babble.”

Hands go to Ajax’s upper arms, two on each side, roughly holding him in place. Ajax isn’t sure whether he’s being held by one vandal or by two. Feltras makes what sounds like a hum of amusement, the echo of footsteps on tile leisurely but deliberate as he begins to walk and lead them forward. “Be glad that you are. If you weren’t, we might not have use for you.”

“I always knew my charming personality would get me far in life.”

“One exploitable character flaw isn’t much of a personality.”

“Do all of you talk like this?” Ajax snorts between laughs, even as he’s being forcefully dragged through the halls. “I cannot _believe_ all of the Eliksni are bitchass nerds.”

Feltras makes a disapproving hum of acknowledgement, but doesn’t say anything more. Ajax isn’t sure if Feltras is trying to be the bigger person by refusing to be egged on, or if Feltras just didn’t understand Ajax. Either way, the silence quickly becomes stifling, especially without being able to see anything and without being able to fuss with any of his equipment. He can’t even flex his fingers in the restraints they’ve got him in.

The tension frays his nerves more and more until Ajax can’t stand it. Even if he knows he should keep his mouth shut, Ajax can’t ignore the itch, and against his better judgement he blurts out the first thing on his mind. “Will I get to talk to Mithrax?”

“You’ll be speaking to the baroness,” Feltras says, the smug tone of his voice impossible to miss even with the linguistic differences. Ajax is quickly coming to understand why Mithrax hates the guy.

“So am I going to be like, interrogated? Am I being put on trial? Am I going to get a lawyer? I’m legally entitled to speak to my lawyer, you know. Do you count as the bailiff, or are you going to be the prosecutor? Also, what am I even being charged with--or is Mithrax the defendant, and I’m a witness? Er, potential accomplice? Don't I have right to a grand jury indictment?”

Feltras stops walking, the vandals also pausing their movements. Ajax can practically feel the captain’s gaze boring into him. “I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Ha! Outdated Earth culture wins again. How about, (are you going to tell me what’s going on, or are you going to keep being an asshole?)”

The hold on Ajax’s arms tightens in warning, a growl coming from a vandal to Ajax’s left. Feltras, however, just lets out an exasperated sigh. “(I’m tired of this now. Shut him up.)”

Ajax is prepared for the vandals to take the bag off his head and gag him, or to even just wrap something around the outside of the bag where his mouth should approximately be. Instead, one of the vandals strikes Ajax with a blunt object on the back of the head, and when it makes contact it sends a burst of electricity through his body. Ajax has only a split second to recognize the danger of what’s happening before he blacks out.

After that, things become a blur. Ajax drifts in and out of consciousness, dull throbbing radiating from the back of his skull, a sharp ache when he tries to focus and a tingling feeling that goes all the way to the tips of his fingers. Distantly, he’s aware of cracked tile beneath him, his limp body being dragged along with significantly less care than before. His cape occasionally catches on rock and debris, and he can feel the fabric tear as they continue to pull him forward.

Quietly within his helmet, his ghost asks if he wants help. Ajax manages to numbly shake his head without alerting the vandals around him. Ajax won’t risk anything happening to his ghost--or to Mithrax--while he can help it. Rather than bother trying to pick himself up, Ajax lets them continue to drag him along to wherever they’re planning to meet with the baroness.

At some point they make it outside, judging by the familiar cold, damp air of Titan’s surface seeping into Ajax’s body through his armor. Soon after, the familiar whine and roar of machinery approaches, and they come to a halt on what Ajax can only guess is a metal platform of some sort. The platform begins to rise and Ajax adjusts his mental image to picture them on an elevator.

A hand abruptly grabs Ajax by the chin, startling him out of his thoughts as it forces his gaze upwards.

“Welcome back,” Feltras says in his familiar drawl, the slight purr of amusement in his voice making Ajax’s skin itch. “I’d suggest cooperating with the Baroness. Otherwise you might not be waking up again.”

Ajax feels much less grounded now that he doesn’t know where he is and after being dragged around blind for awhile, but he keeps his head held high, refusing to flinch from Feltras’ grip. “You got that phrase from Sloane, didn’t you?”

“...Perhaps.” When Feltras lets go, Ajax’s head drops, and he struggles to keep himself upright and focused. “Regardless, try cutting back on the backtalk.”

“You sure? The Baroness might have the sense of humor you lack, Captain.”

When Feltras speaks again, there’s a strained quality to his voice that Ajax can’t quite pinpoint, but it does make Ajax want to smile. “It’s in your best interest to _hold your tongue,_ guardian.”

“Funny thing about that--I don’t actually have a tongue.”

Ajax isn’t sure who gives the signal or who carries it out, but a foot comes crashing down against Ajax’s back, and without his arms or hands available to him, Ajax falls forward, pinned to the ground on his stomach. A moment later Feltras’ voice is startlingly close, practically a hiss in his ear.

“You think you’re something special, don’t you? You think you’re going to walk in and be everyone’s friend because you’re too consumed by your misplaced pity to fight us? Just because _Mithrax_ has forgotten what you are doesn’t mean the _rest_ of us have. When I drag you in there, they will all see you as the murderer and fool you are. Nothing more.”

It stings--more because it’s true than anything else. Ajax feels the weight of the situation truly begin to set in and wonders if he and Mithrax are going to be killed for this, this naive dream that he could try to do something right by the Eliksni, could help Mithrax in some way that Mithrax couldn’t already help himself. Is Mithrax even still alive? How can Ajax know for sure that Jenryl wasn’t simply trying to spare him the heartache?

After what feels like an endless moment of tense silence, Feltras speaks again, the grin clearly evident in every word. “Finally run out of retorts, guardian?”

Despite everything, Ajax wheezes out a laugh. “I was so busy admiring your monologue, I forgot to think of something.”

Feltras doesn’t respond as Ajax is pulled upright, thankfully onto his feet this time. It’s only a moment longer before the platform comes to a stop, and they begin walking forward once more. Ajax can’t figure out where they are through sound alone, too busy stumbling the first few steps and trying to remember how to use his legs, but it seems to be somewhere much larger. A hangar of some sort? An engine hums somewhere in the distance, along with the sound of other footsteps, faint whispers in Eliksni tongue that Ajax can’t quite hear enough to make out. He’ll certainly give Feltras props for setting the mood--a hunter can always find time to appreciate theatrics.

They only make two turns during the last stretch of the walk before stopping again. No words are exchanged, but the sound of large doors opening before them and the dead silence that follows tells Ajax all he needs to know. Some part of him can _feel_ what seems like hundreds of eyes focused on him as he’s brought forward, the tension so thick it’s nearly stifling. The vandals jerk him forward roughly when they start walking again, grip tightening on him as they cross the last distance between them and his fate.

This time when they stop, Ajax is shoved down to his knees. He holds his breath as the bag is torn from his head, and he finds himself peering up at what could only be the baroness herself, huge and imposing even as she practically lounges in her seat, looking down at Ajax with an unreadable expression.

“Ajax-8,” she says, her tone commanding and authoritative.

“Baroness,” Ajax responds, chipper and conversational in comparison.

She doesn’t seem impressed. “You know why you’ve been brought here, correct?”

“No, ma’am. Captain Feltras didn’t read me my charges, or my rights.” Feltras is standing to the left of the baroness, all of his arms crossed as he looks down at Ajax, eyes narrowed in irritation. He keeps his mouth shut.

This time, the baroness actually laughs, though it’s clearly without any mirth. “You don’t have any _rights_ here, guardian. You’ve been brought here to explain yourself, and the only reason you’re getting that luxury is because your dear captain made a compelling argument on your behalf.” Ajax tries to look around the room discreetly, but doesn’t get very far. “Don’t bother. Mithrax isn’t here.”

“Is he, uh...okay?” Ajax has no way to know for certain what Mithrax told them, or what they found out of their own accord, but he knows he can’t keep his concern a secret. “He’s my favorite captain, after all.”

“So we've heard.” She leans forward, her lower arms resting against her legs, fingers laced together. “Tell us how you came to work with Mithrax.”

The blue lights of his eyes blink. “I walked up to him and asked. It was pretty straightforward.”

There’s a moment of silence, Ajax and the baroness staring each other down until the baroness finally leans back, relaxing in her seat. “If you’re interested in ever seeing Mithrax again, I would suggest you stop playing games.” Even though Ajax’s expression doesn’t change, it’s as if the baroness can see the subtle way his body tenses. “Now. Would you like to try again?”

“...We first ran into each other when we were both trying to get the reactor core.” Ajax focuses his gaze elsewhere, trying to ignore all of the eyes watching him and focusing instead on the memory of Mithrax. “He was always one step ahead of me. It was infuriating. The only thing that stopped him was the Hive. When I caught up to him, he was fighting a pretty tough knight.”

The baroness’ gaze is piercing as she studies Ajax. “Mithrax originally reported that you took the core while he was distracted. But that wasn't the case, was it?”

“No. I shot the knight.”

“Why didn't you kill Mithrax then and there?”

Ajax should have had an answer for this a long time ago, but he'd never managed to find one that seemed appropriate. “I don't know. I was too focused on the Hive? I respected him? I wanted to be friends? It all sounds stupid saying it out loud. It just...didn’t feel like the right thing to do.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ajax can see several of the Eliksni turning to glance at each other, unspoken questions exchanged between them, yet there is only silence--they know better than to gossip right now, with the baroness staring Ajax down. After a moment of mulling it over, the baroness apparently decides not to question Ajax further on the matter. “When did you begin meeting with the captain?”

“About two weeks after the incident with the reactor core, I think. I was the one who sought him out. I went to the Arcology alone, turned off my radio. When I found him, I thought he was going to gut me, honestly. But I set down my guns and pulled out my sword, and he humored me. We sparred together for awhile and introduced ourselves properly. After that, we started meeting weekly to do the same thing.”

The baroness turns to Feltras and exchanges some words with him in Eliksni, Ajax’s passing knowledge of the language enough that he can pick up on Feltras translating some of the words for her. She glances between Feltras and Ajax before speaking to Feltras again, but this time, Ajax can’t parse any of it. His ghost informs him that it’s a change in dialect, and while the ghost can’t _quite_ understand it all, that it seems she’s confirming with Feltras that Mithrax’s story corroborates Ajax’s.

Finally, she turns her attention back to Ajax. “You two taught each other language, yes?”

“Uh, sort of. I taught him some English, but most of it he figured out by himself, listening to guardian radio. Mithrax taught me a little bit of Eliksni, but…”

“But?”

“...I’m pretty stupid, ma’am. I’m not very good at it.”

Feltras says something to the baroness that Ajax doesn’t catch, and whatever it was makes her mandibles flare in amusement. “Some of our reports note that you’re ‘deceptively clever,’ guardian, though I’m beginning to wonder if it’s simply luck that brought you this far.”

Ajax can’t help but laugh. “It’s definitely luck.”

“What else did the two of you do during these meetings? It’s difficult to believe you grew so close over simply dueling.”

“Lots of stuff. We talked about Earth animals, weird creatures on other planets, our favorite types of guns, I told him about the first ship I ever had, the time I choked on spicy ramen, which shaders I like to use on my stuff, the cool sparrow I got that fired flames out the back but that I eventually switched for the one that fires confetti, and about how Zavala confiscated all the sparrow horns because we constantly abused them all the time, and how Cayde isn’t allowed to use flare guns anymore after an incident he won’t tell me about, and about this one time I accidentally called Ignis ‘mom’ and it was super embarrassing, and how I used to make a game out of how many different ways I could kill Hive in an hour, and--”

Feltras cuts in this time, exasperated. “When Mithrax said you don’t know how to shut up, I thought he was exaggerating.”

Ajax simply shrugs as best he can with the bindings restricting his range of motion. The baroness seems less annoyed than Feltras, and sounds more curious than anything else. “You did most of the speaking during these meetings?”

“Yeah. I mean, have you _met_ Mithrax? It took me three months to get him to tell me his favorite color.” It's red, but Ajax doubts the baroness is even remotely interested in that knowledge.

“When he did speak, what did he talk to you about?”

“Mostly it was him telling me that I'm bad at swords. Uh, bad at using swords. Or that I don't understand the meaning of strength, or honor, or how dumb I am and how the Eliksni are someday going to crack my head open and use it like a bowl. We'd both agreed not to talk about Guardian or Eliksni stuff, so either I was chatting his ear off about something stupid, or we were shit talking each other.”

The baroness’ expression is unreadable, more so than most Eliksni are to Ajax. “You’re working very hard to look harmless, guardian, but we’re all well aware of what you can do.”

Thrumming electricity through his heart makes his fingers twitch nervously within the restraints. “Then why am I here? I was under the impression you were trying to gauge how much of a threat I am.”

“You don’t go around killing ogres like it’s nothing and still get to pretend you’re not dangerous. No, Mithrax is trying to convince us you’re worth the risk.”

 _Moi?_ Ajax could almost blush thinking about Mithrax standing in his position, speaking on his behalf in front of so many people. Now isn’t the time to get sentimental though--it’s time to make sure Mithrax’s efforts don’t go to waste.

“I think I’ve been pretty open about my willingness to work with the Eliksni,” Ajax says slowly, carefully watching the baroness with every word. “The reactor, the ogre, the information about the Hive ritual...I even tried to help the Eliksni being held prisoner by the Vex on Nessus.”

Feltras cuts in, bitterness in his voice. “Killing them is a strange way to help, guardian.”

“They wouldn’t let me! They didn’t listen to a word I said. I only shot back when they nearly killed me.”

The captain scoffs, clearly still unmoved by anything Ajax has to say. However, the baroness seems to mull this over. “Anything else?”

Ajax takes a moment to really think on it, taking a slow breath to steady himself and his racing thoughts. “I...think that it’s time to end all this. I understand why the Eliksni hate us. Most of what happened was out of our control, but there was more we could have...should have done to help you. We are in a position of great power and good fortune, and it is unjust for us to continue to wage a war against people that simply want to survive. There’s plenty of room for both of us under the Traveler. It’s time for us all to move forward.”

A few hushed whispers rise from the edges of the room, only barely audible, though Ajax can feel just from the tone that they’re pointedly divided opinions. The baroness lets the Eliksni chatter for a moment before speaking again, and the whispers cease immediately when she does. “You didn’t mention the ether on Earth.”

Ajax opens his mouth but finds himself dumbly speechless before closing it again, mind whirring as he registers the information. “You...knew? You were willing to gamble all of that ether on me?”

She laughs, cocking her head to the side. “Mithrax was. He’s been gambling the safety of this entire house the moment he decided to trust you.”

“Oh.” Ajax doesn’t really agree on passive effect being the same as active intent, but he can see the point she’s making. “I didn’t think it was worth mentioning.”

“Don’t be so modest. I’m impressed you managed to convince the guardians to agree with your choice.” A beat of silence passes, Ajax averting his gaze. “Unless, of course, they don’t know.”

“...They don’t.” The blue lights of his eyes flicker before settling back on the baroness. “They don’t understand. Not yet.”

Feltras looks to the baroness and says something, growing agitated when she seems to ignore him, preoccupied with studying Ajax closely. He speaks again and this time she snaps at him, whatever she says making him clam up immediately. Ajax would stick his tongue out if it weren’t both horribly inappropriate and physically impossible.

The baroness considers Ajax once more, drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair. “Well, guardian. It seems you’re dedicated to the Eliksni, no matter how foolishly you may have placed your trust. Enough so that we will allow your involvement for the time being. The only question left is what to do with Mithrax.”

“Uh. Let him go?”

“You’re willing to lie to your people, which is useful to us, but so is _he_ , which puts his loyalty into question. Your guardians would feel the same about you, wouldn’t they?”

Ajax would really prefer not to think about how the vanguard would react to knowing where Ajax is and what he’s doing at the moment. “If you’re willing to take the chance on me, you have to trust him too. He and I are equally involved in this, and at this point, we’re a package deal--either take both of us or neither of us. I’m not going to work without him.”

For a moment, Ajax almost thinks he can see the baroness smile, though the actual mechanics of how that would work with her mouth are questionable. “Your ‘favorite captain’ indeed. Very well. As it stands, we will allow the two of you to continue working together, on the condition that all of your work is to be reported back to us and your movement on Titan is tracked. Anywhere else is your business.”

Ajax only barely stops himself from letting out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you, baroness.”

“My name is Skaryn.” Feltras’ vandals move to release Ajax, but Skaryn holds up a hand and stops them. “Go ahead and free yourself, guardian.”

It’s simple enough to do--Ajax retrieves the small blade hidden within his gauntlets using the little wiggle room his fingers have, then manages to wedge it in the seam where the device shuts opposite the hinges. All he has to do after that is brute force it open, which only takes a second or two with the added leverage.

He stands as he removes the restraints, looking Feltras in the eyes before dropping it carelessly to the ground. If looks could kill, Feltras would be strangling him right now.

“Take your leave,” Skaryn says, looking almost as relaxed as Ajax feels now that the ordeal is over. “Delsik, bring in Mithrax.”

Ajax can’t help but pause. “Can I--”

“You’ll see him on your way out, guardian.” If she could roll her eyes, Ajax is pretty sure she would.

Ajax is escorted out by the vandals, keenly aware that everyone is watching him with perhaps even more mixed feelings than they’d had before. Even though Skaryn has given him the go-ahead, Feltras still doesn’t trust him or Mithrax for an instant, and who knows how many of the Eliksni agree with Feltras? Were there any on Mithrax’s side to begin with? Or do all of them simply consider Ajax to be a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off and betray the Eliksni?

All trains of thought stop in their tracks when the door opens and Ajax is met with Mithrax standing on the other side.

Mithrax is clearly startled to see Ajax, but before he can say anything Ajax immediately pushes past the vandals to throw himself at Mithrax, arms wrapped tightly around the captain and met with Mithrax hugging him back, three arms wrapped around Ajax’s torso, one hand cradling the back of Ajax’s head to pull him close and pressing their foreheads together. “Ajax, I--”

“Holy _shit,_ you can’t just scare me like that! I thought they were going to--I wasn’t sure if you were--”

“ _Me?_ When Jenryl told me they were bringing you in I thought for sure Skaryn was going to make an example out of you, if she hadn’t told me you’d agreed to this I was going to--”

“It’s okay, everything is okay! We’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be alright.” Ajax pulls back just enough to look at Mithrax properly, surveying for any damage they may have put on him. Other than looking like he hasn’t rested in awhile, Mithrax seems to be fine and in one piece. Ajax lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, slumping forward again to this time press his face to the crook of Mithrax’s neck. “I’ve never been so happy to see you, M.”

Mithrax is about to say something when someone clears their throat behind him. Another captain (Ajax assumes Delsik, going off what the baroness had said) is standing there, hip cocked to the side and looking rather disgusted with the scene. “(Not to interrupt whatever _this_ is, but Skaryn is still waiting.)”

Ajax reluctantly lets go, peeling himself away from Mithrax who seems just as reluctant to let him leave. Mithrax’s hands linger on Ajax’s shoulders as the captain takes a good, long look at Ajax, as if committing his image to memory. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Of course.” Ajax lifts a hand to hold one of Mithrax’s, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “Same time, same place.”

 

It isn’t until Ajax is alone, back in the safety and comfort of his ship that his ghost appears. _“You know I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…”_

“What, _another_ Eliksni official wants to take me in for questioning?” Ajax reclines in his seat, taking a moment to relax with his hands behind his head. “I’m not sure if there’s anything that could possibly make me more stressed out than I already was. Lay it on me.”

_“There’s a message waiting for you from Ikora."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For real, thank you so much for the continued support. Knowing that there are people out there who really care about this silly little passion project of mine has really helped me out, and is something I turn to whenever I feel down on myself or like life is overwhelming. I promise it's going to get finished, no matter how long it might take me. I'm actually through a big chunk of the planned story, and there isn't too much left. Maybe another three chapters or so? We'll see.
> 
> I hope all of you enjoyed this and I hope you're having a wonderful day.


	11. Taking A Bullet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ajax isn't really sure what the "right" course of action is in these kinds of situations, but he'd rather fuck it up than do nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [insert usual apology about delay]
> 
> I've had this chapter planned since before I even started posting Utopia, and it's been by far the most intimidating challenge for myself to both write and publicly post. We're coming up to the end of Utopia in just a few chapters. Thank you so much for reading and sticking with it for as long as you all have, and I hope you enjoy.

Ikora’s gaze isn’t cold, per se, so much as it is sharp, as if it could cut through a person’s very being. The moment Ajax steps into view, he can feel her eyes on him, practically dissecting him as he approaches. “Uh, hey Ikora. What’s up?”

She seems to linger on whatever’s on her mind for a moment longer before addressing Ajax. “Do you remember your trip down to the EDZ?”

“I make lots of trips to the EDZ, ma’am.”

In an instant Ikora looks almost resigned, pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh. “Do you have to be like this _all_ of the time, Ajax? Is one moment of professionalism too much to ask for?”

“Sorry, ma’am. It’s a coping mechanism.”

“I’ve spent well enough time with Cayde to know that.” Ajax isn’t sure if she means that Cayde is the same way, or that Cayde talks about Ajax and his inner workings a lot. Ajax doesn’t really want to explore either topic though, so he lets it slide. “The ether cache you found.”

“The one we blew up?” He’s been practicing the lie for awhile, and it’s so familiar he almost believes it himself, ignoring the underlying guilt gnawing at his stomach. “What about it?”

Ikora narrows her eyes at him, studying him closely for just a fraction of a second, before just as quickly moving on. “We’ve discovered other large shipments of ether being moved around. Errol managed to tag one with a tracker so we can map out their supply lines.”

Ajax internally swears out his fellow hunter for being so competent. “You want to cut off their supplies?”

“No.” The relief in his heart is immediate. “I want you and Yannick to follow the supplies and see where they’re going. Outposts, bases, which captains are handling the transports. You seemed so keen on running reconnaissance, I figured this would be right up your alley.”

She’s right, but… ”With _Yannick_?”

“I was surprised too,” Ikora shrugs, sounding fairly genuine. “He seemed upset that you’re the new ‘Fallen expert,’ and it seems he wants to expand his knowledge.”

“Is he serious? If he wants to be teacher’s pet, he doesn’t have to compete with me for it.”

Ikora rolls her eyes, but with a warm smile. Ajax wants to be mad, but it’s hard to stay upset with Ikora knowing she’s trying to help them both out. “Meet up with Yannick whenever you’re ready.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

Ajax isn’t sure if he’s having a good time or not.

On the one hand, time spent not shooting Eliksni is always time well spent. Getting to flex his knowledge of the Eliksni to Yannick is a bonus, too--it’s not often he knows something Yannick doesn’t, especially when it’s the majority of a subject. Being an entire field ahead of the warlock is extremely gratifying.

On the other, trying to act like he doesn’t know _too_ much about the Eliksni is a tricky thing to gauge. He’s sure Yannick would get a kick out of hearing the old beefs between the Kings and the Devils, but would it be weird for Ajax to know so many details about it? Yannick is already constantly baffled by how much of the language Ajax can pick up--and that’s so little that Mithrax still makes fun of him for it.

All that and the fact that he’s outright lying to Yannick. Perhaps mainly a lie by omission, but the point stands. Yannick is one of his best friends, closer to him than almost anyone else. Even despite their teasing banter, Ajax knows that Yannick would die for him in a heartbeat, just as he was ready to do for Yannick so long ago in the Hellmouth. Keeping such a big secret from Yannick for so long has been hard enough. Trying to play dumb directly to the Awoken’s face makes his heart hurt.

They’re only two days in when Yannick calls him out. “Are you okay? Even _you_ aren’t usually this spacy during a mission.”

Ajax glances away from the patrolling band of Eliksni he’d been only sort of watching through his scope, 100 meters of rugged EDZ between himself and them. “Spacy? I’m watching the target! What more do you want from me?”

One carefully arched brow raises, Yannick staring incredulously at Ajax before gesturing back to the Eliksni. “One of those dregs just tripped over a stick and you didn’t even laugh.” There’s a beat of silence as Ajax peeks through the scope again to confirm. “Honestly. Are you even paying attention?”

“I was looking for _important_ stuff! You think I want to spend my time talking about every stupid thing any dreg ever does? We’d never get anywhere!” The other dregs are laughing, though Ajax pities the poor thing that fell based on how irritated their captain is starting to look. “This is a waste of time, Yannick. I can’t believe Ikora really wants us to hang out in the dirt and mud just to figure out where these guys keep their lunch or whatever.”

“Mmm.” While Ajax focuses through the scope of his rifle, Yannick keeps watch of the surrounding area. “I don’t exactly see us planning a big raid on any of their bases any time soon. Gotta keep track of our enemies, though.”

The dreg that fell takes a swipe at one of their fellows currently laughing at them, knocking the other flat on their ass. Ajax snorts. “Uh, sure, real glad we’re keeping tabs on this important information.”

Most days pass a lot like that; lurking nearby, watching patrols, noting transfers as the shipment of ether makes its rounds. On the third day, the container is taken to a hub of servitors, presumably to be refilled. Yannick marks the location and excitedly chatters about how useful this find is as Ajax feels knots in his stomach, trying to swallow the bitter taste in his mouth. Two more days are spent following the shipment as it moves from camp to camp to hub to camp to camp to hub…

When the day comes to meet with Mithrax, Ajax can’t think of a reasonable excuse to dip from the mission. What could he possibly say to Yannick--and Ikora--that wouldn’t raise suspicion? There’s nothing Ajax wants more than to check in with the captain, but they’ve both pushed their luck enough for the time being. Ajax isn’t exactly rushing to head back to trial. Begrudgingly, he has his ghost send a heavily encrypted message to Mithrax and prays that it gets to Mithrax safely. (“M, have to miss our meeting. Important stuff. See you soon, stay safe. A.”)

Ten days pass before Ajax and Yannick catch a big break. After a refill at a servitor hub, they expect to head to another outpost or generic camp, but instead, they’re met with an arriving ketch. It sends down a skiff, which has a small band simply to load the skiff with as much ether as they can manage. The unit with the tracker is one of those taken, shuffled onto the skiff with the rest, unremarkable amongst the shipment.

As the skiff takes off, heading back towards its ketch, Ajax huffs and sets down his rifle. “They’re probably headed off-planet.”

“Probably.” Yannick clicks his tongue and summons his ghost. “Is Ikora available?”

There’s a moment of silence as the light of the ghost’s eye steadily pulses, seeming to be trying to make contact. Ikora’s voice soon cuts in over the radio. “ _Guardians. Status report?_ ”

“Errol’s tracker is leaving the EDZ.” While Yannick talks to Ikora, Ajax plops down onto a nearby rock, resting his chin on his hand and idly watching the Eliksni distantly scurrying about the hub. “We’ve collected a lot of data on Fallen operations here, but without that tracker I’m not sure how much more we can do.”

“ _Where is it going?_ ”

“Not sure yet.”

“ _Follow it for now. If we can learn more about their operations elsewhere, it’s worth pursuing._ ” Ajax inwardly groans, not excited in the slightest to continue this torturous operation in somewhere possibly less hospitable than the EDZ. “ _Give me an update as soon you know where it’s going._ ”

“Affirmative. Over and out.” Yannick clicks off his radio and turns to Ajax, just about ready to warp into his ship to take off, but pauses when he sees Ajax staring at him. “What?”

“You’re _such_ a kissass, dude.”

Ajax only barely manages to avoid the rock Yannick hurls towards his head.

 

Yannick follows the ketch at a good distance while Ajax waits in Earth’s orbit, his ship drifting lazily just above the atmosphere. They don’t want to tip off the Eliksni, and Yannick is far better at stealth piloting. Ajax may have the finesse of a hunter, but Yannick has always been in tune with the void, slipping in and out of darkness with startling ease.

As Ajax restlessly drums his fingers along the dashboard, his ghost appears alongside him, peering up with its eye wide. “ _How long do you think we can keep this up for?_ ”

“Well, considering we’re both immortal...forever, probably.” The eye narrows at Ajax, and he sighs and crosses his arms, leaning back in his chair. “Alright, I know we can’t keep this a secret for much longer, it’s only going to get worse the longer we wait, et cetera. But I’m waiting for the perfect time to present itself, y’know? This isn’t something we can just toss onto the table out of the blue.”

Before his ghost can even respond, Yannick’s voice interrupts. “ _The ketch is preparing to land. Sending you coordinates._ ”

The location pops up on the HUD of Ajax’s ship, and he has to make a conscious effort to not audibly react. “...They’re landing on Titan?”

“ _Lucky, right? Looks like you’re going to be in your element. Meet me and Sloane on deck and we can work out a plan._ ”

“Uh, yeah! Cool, perfect, right, right. See you there in a bit!” The second Ajax hears the sound of Yannick disconnecting, he frantically starts preparing his ship. “Ghost! Can you call Mithrax? Or his band, or any of the Eliksni there, Jenryl or Skaryn or whoever else, or--fuck, get me _somebody!_ ”

As the engine begins to whir to life, Ajax’s ghost quickly cycles through every available channel it can find on Titan, before finally connecting to the first open Eliksni line it comes across. There’s a slight pause, and then a familiar grating drawl that makes Ajax internally groan. “ _Ajaks, what a surprise. Shouldn’t you be calling Mithra--_ ”

“Oh, _can it_ , Feltras. We’ve got bigger problems than your fragile fucking ego. You guys have an incoming ketch with an ether delivery from Earth, yeah?”

“ _...Yes. How--why?_ ”

“There’s a tracking device on one of the shipping containers. Guardians are following it right to the Eliksni on Titan.”

Immediately, Feltras is barking out orders in Eliksni, presumably to his nearby vandals, and Ajax will at least give him credit for promptness. “ _Are they planning to attack the shipment?_ ”

“Not sure yet. They were tracking it while it was on Earth for over a week to locate some Eliksni bases. I don’t know if that’s the plan for Titan though, you guys don't have nearly as much footing here.”

“ _Captain Delsik is in charge of inbound drops at the moment. I’ve given her the news and will keep you updated._ ” Ajax lets out a small exhale of relief while Feltras quietly exchanges words with someone else. “ _Mithrax is currently in the Arcology. I’ll let him know you’re coming._ ”

“Uh...thanks? Not that I’m not stoked to see my boy, but this is sort of more pressing, and if Mithrax is busy with other stuff then there’s no point in dragging him into it. If Delsik’s in charge, let her handle it.”

There’s a moment of silence where Ajax can’t tell what Feltras is thinking, and he almost regrets saying anything at all before he hears the clicking of laughter. “ _While I appreciate your sincerity in working with us, I’m sure Mithrax would have me dismembered if you arrived on Titan and I didn’t tell him._ ”

“Oh. You’re probably right on that, yeah, better let him know.” The indicator for the hyperdrive flicks on and Ajax takes a deep breath, hands settling on the controls in a tight grip. “I’m on my way. There’s another guardian arriving ahead of me, but we’re the only two currently inbound. I don’t know how many guardians are currently on Titan--”

“ _16\. Six of them are currently dealing with a high ranking Hive wizard, three of them are running an operation for Sloane to repair a few damaged turbines, two are currently chasing one of our captains across the rig towards the anchor, one has been collecting alkane dust for the past hour, and the other four have gone dark in Hive territory in the Arcology._ ”

“You had that answer pretty quick, huh?”

“ _This is a slow day as far as guardian activity is concerned. It’s not difficult to follow your trails of bloodshed._ ”

“Not sure if I should be upset or flattered here, Feltras.”

“ _Embarrassed and ashamed might be more fitting._ ”

“Cool, I’ll let you know when I’m on Titan so I can be embarrassed in your general direction.”

“ _I’ll be sure to be as far away from you as possible._ ” It’s hard to tell through the way Feltras tends to drone, Eliksni inflection already being as difficult to decipher as it is, but it almost sounds like they’re bonding. Ajax makes a mental note to tease Feltras about it later if he gets the chance.

The ship lurches into hyperdrive, Ajax’s stomach sinking as it does. He hasn’t been nervous flying in a long, long time, but the worry over the situation is gnawing at the pit of his chassis, a coiling sense of dread unnerving him to the core. It’s a toss up between the meeting with Skaryn and this operation now in terms of which has stressed Ajax out more, and the past few weeks have really been wearing on the chill and relaxed vibes Ajax normally tries to bask himself in.

He’s not sure if guardians get vacation days or not, but he’s definitely going to ask after all of this is over. Maybe see if Mithrax wants to come along too, find somewhere nice and secluded they can hang out and catch up. It feels like eons since the last time the two of them were able to just spend time together without the rest of the universe creeping up on them--or, at least, without having to be acutely aware of it. The universe was never going to wait for them to be ready, but still, Ajax wishes he could have some time for them to at least catch a breather.

Ajax is lost in the distant stars whirling past him and his own wishful thinking when a ping from Yannick catches his attention. “ _A, skip Sloane, just meet me at the Siren’s Watch. We’re going to take them out. You won’t believe where the shipment is landing._ ”

It takes a moment for the gears to turn in Ajax’s head, but when the lightbulb goes off, he almost snaps the throttle control off his console. “The weapon’s drop?!”

“ _Yeah. It looks like they have an armory drop coming in at the same time, they--_ ”

Ajax misses whatever else Yannick says when he cuts the line, tuning back to Feltras’ frequency. “Feltras, what the hell is Delsik doing? Has she lost her mind?”

“ _She’s trying to increase security by consolidating her risks._ ” The strain in his voice is unmistakable, even in its subtlety. “ _If the ether comes in with the guarded drop, then it’s at least more protected than it would have been otherwise. She’s more than willing to fight for it._ ”

Ajax can’t really fault Delsik for trying, even though he knows the futility of it. “You have to concede that shipment, you guys can’t defend that--”

“ _We must._ ”

“Cut your losses! There’s no point in fighting a losing battle!”

“ _If we let this shipment go, I guarantee you we will starve._ ” Feltras lets that sink in with a beat of silence, Ajax clearly needing the moment to process. “ _Skaryn’s abrupt visit left us with less ether than we’d rationed for, and Titan doesn’t have any natural deposits we can tap into. We have to get that shipment._ ”

“...The guardians aren’t going to let you have it.”

“ _Then we’ll die trying._ ”

The only time Ajax has ever felt truly helpless is when the light was torn from his body by Ghaul; that brief period when everything was against them, when every encounter was life or death, when Ghaul had power and the guardians had none and there was nothing any of them could do but cling to survival as best they could. That period of darkness in a life filled with light was only a mere moment. It’s never been so clear to Ajax as it is now the extent of the Eliksni’s suffering--the unending darkness they’ve been trying to drag themselves out of for centuries.

But the guardians are the Eliksni’s Red Legion, even if they hadn’t intended to be. The Eliksni lost everything and don’t even get a happy ending for all of their troubles.

Not yet.

“Tell Delsik to hold back. I’m going to try to stop them.”

“ _I don’t think she knows_ how _to hold back, but I’ll try._ ” As Ajax readies his equipment, double checking his loadout before they descend, Feltras makes a contemplative noise between a hum and a purr. “ _One more thing, guardian._ ”

“Yes, captain?”

“( _Thank you._ )”

Ajax’s hands pause, his grip on his hand cannon trembling slightly. “Don’t thank me for anything yet.”

He ends up transmatting in only a few meters back behind Yannick, who is poised with his rifle on the walkway suspended by the drop point. The usual spot for guardians to sit and wait as they watch the ketch approaching in the distance.

“Wait!” Ajax calls as he jogs over, immediately catching the warlock’s attention and a wary glance. “Doesn’t this seem, uh, convenient? Everything’s all together in one big shipment that they know we’re probably going to attack?”

Yannick blinks at Ajax before outright laughing. “You seriously think I’m worried about a handful of waterlogged Fallen?”

 _No, but it was worth a shot._ “Still--we were getting so much information out of tracking them, why throw that all away now?”

“Because the ether shipments on Titan are vital, and this will be a serious blow to their resources?” Yannick looks perplexed for only a moment before his expression turns to something harsher, more serious and pointed. “...Ikora’s right, isn’t she? You’ve gone soft on the Fallen.”

“What? No!” As the ketch draws closer and the skiffs begin to descend, the whine of the engines grows almost deafening, gusts of air kicking up dust and water droplets around them. Ajax’s eyes flick between Yannick and the ships. “Alright, yes, I have. But they’re not all bad--”

“I can’t believe this,” Yannick says, more to himself than to Ajax. “So what, you hang out with Variks a little, run into a grand total of _one_ captain that doesn’t want to immediately blow you up, and now you’re trying to redeem them all? Should we call the Hive up, see if any of them want to be our friends now?”

“It’s not like that! You don’t understand what they’ve been through!”

“And _you_ don’t remember what they put _us_ through,” Yannick hisses, gold eyes bright and burning as he absolutely seethes. One of the skiffs comes to a low hover above the drop point, beginning to unload their equipment onto the rig as bands of Eliksni rappel down. Yannick clicks his tongue and turns away from Ajax, readying his rifle. “If you can’t stomach what needs to be done, that’s your own problem, but I’m not going to let your hangups hold me back.”

Over the radio, a few guardians signal that they’re inbound to help, and Ajax isn’t sure what to do, several panicked and poorly thought out plans all flitting through his head at once. It’s not like he can just throw himself between the guardians and the Eliksni without serious repercussions.

...But the repercussions for the Eliksni if Ajax does nothing will be far worse.

Ajax tries to find the nerve to speak up again, but his voice is caught in his throat, words to express his distress lost in a haze of panic. It isn’t until a familiar captain jumps down from the skiff, tall and imposing and _Ajax’s_ , that everything shifts into focus. Mithrax doesn’t see Ajax, but Ajax is already moving into action before either Mithrax or Yannick can begin to act.

Ajax draws his hand cannon and the light is already wrapping around him before he even thinks to summon it. Something in his mind distantly screams about Dredgen Yor, images of the Thorn and sickly green light dancing around the edges of his vision--but then Ajax looks to Mithrax again, and it steels his resolve.

“Sorry about this,” Ajax says, too softly for Yannick to hear, lost in the sound of the golden gun firing. The shock on Yannick’s face lasts only a moment before his body is burned away by the light.

Mithrax looks up then, makes eye contact with Ajax and bears something unreadable in his stance. Ajax keeps his head held high, even though his hands are shaking.

“I’ll take care of them. Do what you need to do, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” He’s a terrible liar and they both know it. Still, Mithrax slowly nods, putting his trust in Ajax and turning his attention to the shipment at hand. Likewise, Ajax takes a deep breath and turns around, readying himself for the other guardians.

It all blurs together after that. Ajax wouldn’t exactly call himself a rockstar in the Crucible, but he holds his own well enough, and here he has the added advantage that the guardians aren’t expecting to fight _him_. Killing is practically muscle memory, and Ajax tries not to think too hard about it as he shoots down confused guardians, knifing the few that get too close, one receiving a nasty blow to the underside of their jaw and spraying blood across the smooth white surface of the Nighthawk.

After the action dies down, a handful of dead guardians laying before him, Yannick’s ghost materializes and nervously flits into view. Ajax recognizes the gesture of trust for what it is, guilt panging at his heart. “Let him stay down another minute for me. I don’t want to fight him.”

The ghost acquiesces, despite Yannick’s likely brewing fury. A few of the other guardians are resurrected, but Ajax puts them down just as easily the second time. They still seem uncertain, unsure of what’s happening and whether or not they should hold back. That’s their mistake--Ajax certainly isn’t restraining himself beyond making sure their ghosts stay intact.

Thankfully the Eliksni move faster than usual, stakes higher and more hands on deck to help out. When the shipment is taken care of, the skiff preparing to take off, Mithrax approaches the walkway from below, looking up at Ajax with concern clear in his voice. “What’s your plan now?”

“Whatever comes next with the guardians, I’ll deal with it. I’m going to make my case just like you did, and whatever happens, happens.” Ajax leans against the railing, peering down to get a better look at Mithrax. Just in case they don’t see each other for awhile.

Mithrax makes a dissatisfied sound deep in his throat. “Worst case scenario?”

“Exile or something, probably Osiris style. At least they’re not going to cut off my limbs or anything like that.” Neither of them laugh at that, which Ajax supposes is rightfully so.

“Come with us.” That makes Ajax straighten up. “Even if you’re not with the guardians, I know Skaryn would be willing to consider having you on board. Your skills alone make you an invaluable asset.”

“Uh. Does that mean I’m _not_ valuable, or--”

“Ajax.” Mithrax holds out a hand, as if for him to take. “I’m serious. There’s a place for you beside me.”

The atmosphere is practically buzzing with light waiting to return to the guardians in the field. There’s not much time before they start to return again, and Ajax isn’t sure how long he can continue to hold them off. With a soft laugh, Ajax shakes his head. “If they toss me out of the City, maybe. But I have to at least _try_ to convince them.”

Mithrax’s gaze is piercing, but ultimately he retracts his hand. “If you need me--”

“Always.”

“--you know how to get a hold of me.” Delsik calls out to Mithrax from the skiff, and he gives her a quick glance before looking back to Ajax. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“No more stupid than usual, promise.” Mithrax shakes his head before grappling onto the skiff, ascending into its cargo bay and disappearing as its doors shut. When the skiff starts to take off is when Ajax lowers his weapons, placing them on the ground before putting his hands up and behind his head. “Alright, I yield! Take me away or whatever, do what you need to do.”

A burst of purple light immediately brings Yannick back into physical form, and before Ajax can even open his mouth, Yannick decks him in the jaw with enough strength and void light packed into the blow that his facial plating fractures. Ajax’s skull splits open, body crumpling to the ground in a limp heap.

_Yeah, that’s fair._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: if you search "Mithjax" on Spotify, my playlist for them is there if anyone wants to give it a listen!

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, this is a self-indulgent endeavor largely being written for myself--but if you happened to enjoy, kudos and comments mean the world to me! :)


End file.
